Burundi : following the detention of several Banyamulenge pastors, the SNR arrests a Burundian leader from Stone Evangelical Church

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, September 30, 2026 — Following the detention of several pastors from the Banyamulenge community in Bujumbura, the National Intelligence Service (SNR) has arrested another leader from Stone Evangelical Church. Samuel Nkurunziza, a Burundian citizen and the church’s legal representative in Burundi, was arrested on Saturday, September 26, according to sources close to the church.

His arrest comes about two weeks after that of Mark Ntayoberwa—a pastor within the same church and a member of the Banyamulenge community—who was also arrested by the SNR. Both men have remained in custody since then. According to their associates, their families have not received precise information regarding their situation.

Two leaders from the same church arrested

Samuel Nkurunziza is the legal representative of Stone Evangelical Church in Burundi. The church is located in the northern part of Bujumbura—Burundi’s commercial capital—and its congregation consists primarily of worshippers from the Banyamulenge community.

Mark Ntayoberwa had been arrested approximately two weeks earlier. According to community members, the families of both leaders have not been officially informed of the specific grounds for their arrest or their place of detention.

At this stage, there is no public information available to establish the charges brought against them.

An independent church and a visionary based in Goma

Community members describe Stone Evangelical Church as an independent church based in Bujumbura. Its visionary and founder is Reverend Paul Sunzu Ruganirwa, who lived in Burundi’s commercial capital for several years. Reverend Paul Sunzu Ruganirwa is currently in Goma, the capital of North Kivu—a city controlled by the AFC-M23 since January 2025.

Some sources suggest that the church visionary’s presence in Goma could explain the arrests of the church’s religious leaders.

However, at this stage, there is no public evidence establishing that Samuel Nkurunziza or Mark Ntayoberwa are involved in political or military activities linked to the AFC-M23.

“A religious matter should not be conflated with politics.”

“We are very surprised to see Stone Evangelical Church leaders arrested in what we consider an unjust situation. Relations between Goma and Gitega are currently marked by political tensions, but we believe these tensions should not automatically be conflated with the Church’s activities,” says a member of the Banyamulenge community in Bujumbura.

According to him, the fact that the church visionary is in Goma is not enough to establish any political or military involvement on the part of the arrested religious leaders.

“If someone is suspected of committing an offense, they should be brought before the courts, and their family should be informed of the charges against them,” he urges.

Detentions in the city and refugee camps

The arrests of Stone Evangelical Church leaders are taking place against a broader backdrop of multiple detentions involving members of the Banyamulenge community in Burundi, including pastors in the city of Bujumbura and in refugee camps.

In Bujumbura, several Banyamulenge religious leaders have been arrested since the beginning of September, according to local sources. The specific reasons for many of these detentions have not been officially disclosed. In the Bwagiriza refugee camp—located in Ruyigi district, Buhumuza province, eastern Burundi—a man in his seventies from the Banyamulenge community was also abducted by agents of the Burundi National Police (PNB), who subsequently handed him over to the SNR, according to witnesses.

These arrests are sparking concern within the community, against a regional backdrop marked by the war in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and tensions between Gitega, Kinshasa, and Kigali.

The AFC-M23 and Twirwaneho in the South Kivu highlands

In South Kivu, Twirwaneho—an armed group composed primarily of fighters from the Banyamulenge community—is integrated into the AFC-M23 and is among the armed groups active in the South Kivu highlands.

For several months, the highlands have been the scene of clashes between pro-government Congolese forces—backed notably by the Burundian army and Kinshasa-supported Wazalendo militias—and Twirwaneho fighters allied with the AFC-M23.

In recent times, the government coalition has made gains in several localities following the rebels’ withdrawal from certain positions. However, it has suffered significant losses in several clashes, according to sources close to the operations.

AFC-M23 officials linked to Cornerstone Ministry

According to sources familiar with the matter, certain officials from the AFC-M23 politico-military coalition are reportedly affiliated with Cornerstone Ministry, a religious organization associated with Reverend Paul Sunzu Ruganirwa.

Our sources specifically mention Bertrand Bisimwa, president of the M23 and deputy coordinator of the AFC-M23 in charge of political, administrative, legal, and diplomatic affairs.

However, his alleged affiliation with Cornerstone Ministry could not be independently verified through the public sources consulted.

This purported link between certain AFC-M23 officials and religious leaders does not, in itself, establish the involvement of Samuel Nkurunziza or Mark Ntayoberwa in the coalition’s activities.

A regional conflict with repercussions in Burundi

The AFC-M23 has controlled Goma since January 2025 and subsequently seized Bukavu, in South Kivu. Since launching their offensive, the movement and its allies have exerted influence over several areas across the two Kivu provinces.

Burundi has deployed troops to eastern DRC alongside the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) and the Kinshasa-backed Wazalendo militias. Clashes involving Burundian forces have notably been reported in the highlands of South Kivu. Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of supporting the AFC-M23, while Kigali rejects these accusations and, in turn, blames the DRC and Burundi for collaborating with the FDLR—a Rwandan Hutu armed group whose members include individuals accused of participating in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

Against this backdrop, sources close to the community state that Burundian authorities suspect certain leaders and ordinary members of the Banyamulenge community of spying for Rwanda or collaborating with the AFC-M23.

However, there is no public evidence establishing that Samuel Nkurunziza or Mark Ntayoberwa are involved in such activities.

As of now, neither the SNR nor the Burundian authorities have made any public statement regarding the arrests of the two Stone Evangelical Church leaders or any potential charges brought against them.