Burundi : Murembwe prisoners deprived of flour and forced to buy charcoal at exorbitant prices

SOS Médias Burundi

Rumonge, October 23, 2026 —Inmates at Murembwe Central Prison, located in the port district of Rumonge, in Burunga province, southwest Burundi, have been facing a shortage of cassava and maize flour since early October. According to sources close to the prisoners, they are currently given small amounts of beans, but no flour to accompany their meals.

This new stock break comes just days after the resupply in beans, intervened in early October, following a shortage that would last nearly a month.

According to the same sources, during this period, prisoners received mainly pasta and had to scramble to find beans themselves in order to supplement their diet. The replenishment carried out at the beginning of the month, however, would not have made it possible to restore a regular supply of food.

Some families say that prisoners now have to find, by their own means, other food to supplement their meals. They are particularly concerned about the fate of detainees from broken families or from remote areas, whose relatives have further difficulties in providing them with regular assistance.

Food supply problems add to those reported regarding fuel wood. According to sources close to the inmates, some prisoners would be forced to buy charcoal sold inside the prison, while they would not be allowed to receive that brought to them by their families from outside.

Inmates denounce the high prices of charcoal sold in the penitentiary. According to sources close to the prisoners, a bucket of charcoal that normally costs 12,000 Burundian francs outside the prison is sold for 20,000 francs inside.

Some inmates accuse the prison authorities of allowing this situation to persist, while they would not be allowed to receive charcoal brought by their families. These allegations, however, could not be independently verified.

SOS Médias Burundi was unable to reach the director of Murembwe Central Prison to gather his reaction to the allegations.

The families are calling on the authorities to ensure a regular supply of food and firewood to the prison in order to avoid prolonged stock breakdowns and guarantee decent living conditions to the inmates.

The situation is more worrying that Murembwe Central Prison hosts more than 1,300 inmates, while its capacity is only 800 people. This overcrowding, conjugated with reported food shortages, accentuates the difficulties prisoners face on a daily basis.

The situation in Murembwe is not an isolated case. In other penitentiary facilities in Burundi, detainees also face food supply difficulties and precarious detention conditions. These shortages further fragile prisoners, particularly those who cannot count on the support of their families. They also raise questions about the authorities’ ability to guarantee detainees adequate food and living conditions respectful of their dignity.

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Inmates inside Murembwe Central Prison during an official ceremony. The facility regularly faces issues with overcrowding and difficult detention conditions, according to multiple sources (SOS Médias Burundi)