Burundi : Banyamulenge arrests on the rise, a 70-year-old refugee detained in Bwagiriza

SOS Médias Burundi

Bwagiriza, September 24, 2026—Concern is mounting at the Congolese refugee camp in Bwagiriza, Ruyigi district, Buhumuza province, eastern Burundi, following the arrest of a man in his sixties from the Banyamulenge community. Ntole Rugonderani, approximately 70 years old, was detained at his home on September 20 by security forces, according to sources within the camp.

The man, a Congolese refugee and member of the Banyamulenge community, was then taken into custody by local agents of the National Intelligence Service (SNR), according to the same sources, before being transported to an undisclosed location. Some witnesses believe he is held in an SNR cell.

A catechist well-known in the camp

Ntole Rugonderani is known as a discreet and respected catechist for the Assemblies of God Community in Burundi (CADP) within the camp.

Witnesses claim that no warrant was presented to them at the time of his arrest and that no specific explanation was given regarding the charges against him.

The official reason for his arrest remains unknown. According to sources close to the case, one of the leads being considered concerns the man’s recent trip to Rwanda to visit family members.

Given the tense situation between Gitega and Kigali, the movements of members of the Banyamulenge community to Rwanda are subject to increased scrutiny by Burundian security services.

A series of arrests in Bujumbura

The arrest of Ntole Rugonderani comes amid a wave of arrests in Bujumbura, Burundi’s commercial capital and the hub of the country’s major commercial activities and services, since the beginning of September.

Among those arrested are three pastors, including Jalos Nkunda Kilaya, who was apprehended on September 8 at Melchior Ndadaye International Airport as he was preparing to travel to Kigali. Gédéon Nzayitegaho and Marc Ntayoberwa are also among the religious leaders arrested.

Jalos Nkunda Kilaya was then taken to his home, where a search was conducted by agents of the National Intelligence Service (SNR), according to local sources. His wife, Jacqueline Nyiramasoso, and Merci, a young student and family member, were also arrested during the operation.

Gédéon Nzayitegaho was arrested on September 10 at his Carmelite Church, located in the Mutakura neighborhood, north of Bujumbura. The precise reasons for these arrests have not been officially released.

Sources close to the cases indicate that several of those arrested were taken to the SNR (National Intelligence Service) headquarters, near Regina Mundi Cathedral in Bujumbura. SOS-Torture Burundi also reports several arrests that it attributes to SNR agents.

The conflict in eastern DRC as a backdrop

These arrests come against a regional backdrop marked by the war in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and tensions between Burundi and Rwanda.

Burundi deployed more than 29,000 soldiers to eastern DRC between August 2022 and December 2025, according to an internal report from the Congolese Ministry of the Interior and Security consulted by SOS Médias Burundi last year. These soldiers are fighting alongside the FARDC, the Congolese loyalist army, and the Kinshasa-backed Wazalendo militias against the AFC-M23.

After being driven out of North Kivu alongside SADC (Southern African Development Community) forces and foreign mercenaries, Burundian soldiers retreated to South Kivu, where they have been engaged for more than 20 months in operations alongside the FARDC and the Kinshasa-backed Wazalendo militias. Fighting continues, particularly in the highlands of Fizi and Mwenga, where these forces are clashing with Twirwaneho fighters.

Kinshasa accuses the AFC-M23 of receiving support from Rwanda, an accusation Kigali denies. Reports from the UN Group of Experts indicate Rwandan support for the movement.

Politically, the AFC is led by Corneille Nangaa, former president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) of the DRC. The United Nations Security Council describes the AFC as a politico-military movement allied with the M23 and identifies Nangaa as its political leader.

The AFC-M23 controls several strategic areas in North and South Kivu and advocates, among other things, a political transformation of the DRC, including the idea of ​​a federal state.

The Twirwaneho group, composed mainly of fighters from the Banyamulenge community, is a key ally of the AFC-M23 in South Kivu. Clashes between the Twirwaneho and forces supported by Kinshasa, including the FARDC, the Burundi National Defense Force (FDNB), and the Kinshasa-backed Wazalendo militias, continue in several areas of the highlands.

In this context, the links between Twirwaneho and the AFC-M23, as well as the movement of some members of the Banyamulenge community to Rwanda, are fueling security concerns in Burundi.

A worried community

A community leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, says that the Banyamulenge are living in fear due to the increasing number of arrests.

He is calling for individual investigations and for families to be informed of the whereabouts of their loved ones. According to him, the Congolese Banyamulenge refugees want the same protection as other refugees living in Burundi and do not want to be associated with another country or any political issue because of their community affiliation.

His relatives speak of abduction

At this stage, Ntole Rugonderani’s relatives are speaking of abduction, believing that the man in his sixties was taken away without a warrant being presented to them and that no official information has been provided since his arrest.

The family remains without news of his whereabouts or health. They are demanding to know the reasons for his arrest and where the man in his sixties is held, as concern grows within the Bwagiriza camp.