Burunga : mass arrests in Matana, a security operation that reignites concerns

SOS Médias Burundi

Matana, October 5, 2026 — Police Brigadier General Emmanuel Ndayiziga, Deputy Inspector General of the Burundi National Police (PNB), and Police Colonel Arthémon Nzitabakuze, head of the intelligence service within the General Inspectorate of Police, are closely monitoring an arrest operation that began on September 27 in several villages around Matana, in Burunga province, southern Burundi. According to witnesses, the two officials traveled to Matana and Bururi last week.

Names were reportedly compiled or transmitted from the General Inspectorate of Police in Bujumbura, the commercial capital where several central government services are concentrated, before the operations began. No official list of those wanted, nor the criteria used to identify them, have been made public. The Burundi National Police (PNB) has not officially commented on the precise role of the two officials in these arrests.

Several people are held at the Matana district police station and the Mugamba police station, according to local sources. Administrative officials and members of the Imbonerakure youth wing are also reportedly involved. Some residents have left the area for fear of being arrested.

The operation is being conducted amid suspicions of infiltration by individuals presented as rebels. According to local sources, armed men have been reported in the area. Some are said to have been wearing CNDD-FDD T-shirts to avoid attracting the attention. SOS Médias Burundi has not been able to independently verify the presence or movements of these men.

The arrests began on Sunday, September 27, in several former villages in the Mugamba district, including Tora, Kibezi, Kivumu-Gakaranka, and Nyagasasa. Further arrests were subsequently reported in Muyange-Kavumu and the town of Mwumba.

According to several witnesses, Charles Bondo, the provincial commissioner of the Internal Security Police (PSI) in Burunga, participated in the operation. He reportedly carried out some arrests and interrogated several detainees.

Former soldiers, gendarmes and police officers involved

Witnesses report that former soldiers, gendarmes, and police officers are among those arrested. Some have reportedly been released but have since been threatened by members of the Imbonerakure, according to these same witnesses.

Several of those targeted are reportedly former detainees or already known to the security services. They are not said to belong to a single political group. Some were reportedly arrested in the past for their alleged participation in the 2015 protests against the controversial third term of the late President Pierre Nkurunziza, or because of their ties to former security forces.

These elements, however, do not establish that their military background, former membership in the security forces, or participation in the 2015 events constitute the official reason for the current arrests.

Local officials targeted

Local administrative officials are also reportedly involved. A former village chief is said to be wanted and has reportedly left his home, according to local sources.

At least one local representative of the Imbonerakure, the youth wing of the CNDD-FDD, the ruling party, as well as a village official, have also reportedly been arrested, according to police sources. Some administrative officials and Imbonerakure members are suspected, according to these same sources, of having facilitated the passage of individuals presented as rebels and of having found them houses where they could spend the night.

These accusations have not been officially confirmed.

Several detainees in Matana and Mugamba

Several people are currently held at the Matana district police station. Others are held at the Mugamba police station. Their exact number could not be established.

Several detainees were reportedly questioned on Wednesday by Charles Bondo. However, some have not yet been brought before a judicial police officer. Their families say they do not know the precise charges against them or the next steps in the proceedings.

According to residents, several people have already left the area for fear of being arrested. A relative of someone recently released claims that others may still flee.

“Many more people are expected to flee. Imbonerakure members told the families of those released that it was very temporary and that they would likely be arrested again,” he said.

Disputed summonses and documents

Local sources also accuse agents of the National Intelligence Service (SNR) and some Imbonerakure members of having prepared fake summonses presented as being from judicial police officers in order to lure certain individuals before their arrest. They also claim that forged documents were used in some operations.

These accusations could not be independently verified. The authorities have not commented on the possible existence of contested summonses or falsified documents.

In several villages, discreet instructions have reportedly been given to CNDD-FDD activists not to wear the party’s uniforms. This is intended to prevent infiltrators from impersonating members of the ruling party.

“It’s very secret, but in many villages, CNDD-FDD activists have been prevented from wearing the party uniform to avoid this supposed infiltration,” a local source stated.

A worried population

The operation is prompting some families to send their relatives to other areas for fear of further arrests.

The governor of Burunga, Parfait Mboninyibuka, reportedly promised to closely monitor the situation to ensure that innocent people were not arbitrarily arrested.

However, as of October 5, no detailed official statement had yet been released regarding the total number of people arrested, their identities, the charges against them, or the legal framework under which the operations were being conducted.

A lingering security crisis

The affected villages were heavily mobilized during the 2015 protests against the third term of the late President Pierre Nkurunziza. The CNDD-FDD’s decision to nominate him as its presidential candidate triggered significant demonstrations starting in April 2015, first in Bujumbura and then in other localities. The repression of these protests resulted in numerous deaths and injuries.

The region also had a large population of former members of the defense and security forces, particularly ex-FAB, the former army dominated by the Tutsi minority. Following the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement of August 2000 and subsequent agreements, the army, gendarmerie, and police underwent significant reorganizations. These reorganizations notably led to the integration of former combatants from Hutu armed groups into the new defense and security forces.

Over the years, some former members of the security forces have been accused by the authorities of being linked to armed movements or activities considered hostile to the state. Individuals detained in various security contexts have also been reported to have died in custody.

The threat of armed infiltration

Burundian authorities regularly warn of the risk of attacks or infiltrations from armed groups active in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Gitega, in particular, accuses Kigali of supporting certain armed groups, an accusation Rwanda denies.

No publicly available information at this stage establishes a direct link between this regional threat and the individuals arrested in Matana.

The operation raises several questions : Who compiled the list of wanted persons? Were these names transmitted from Bujumbura? What are the specific charges against the detainees? What is the exact role of Charles Bondo and the officials of the Inspector General of Police? And what about the accusations concerning false summonses and documents allegedly used to carry out some of the arrests?

In the absence of detailed official statements, the total number of people arrested remains unknown. The operation continues to raise concerns in a region marked by security and political tensions inherited from the 2015 crisis.