Bukinanyana : a man seriously wounded by gunfire during an operation against fuel smuggling

SOS Médias Burundi

Bukinanyana, October 31, 2026 — A man was seriously wounded by gunfire on the evening of Thursday, October 29, by a soldier stationed at a position in Kaburantwa, in the Buganda zone of ​​Bukinanyana district, Bujumbura province, in northwestern Burundi. The victim was riding a motorcycle and transporting several jerrycans of fuel from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He was evacuated to a hospital in Bujumbura, the country’s commercial capital, in critical condition.

According to local authorities, the soldier opened fire on the man’s legs after he refused to comply with orders. Seriously injured, the victim was first taken to the Kaburantwa health center before being transferred to Prince Regent Charles Hospital in Bujumbura.

Fuel from the DRC enters Burundi via the Rusizi River, where it is transported by canoe. It is then collected at the Seventh Avenue in Kaburantwa, near the border between the two countries, before being smuggled into Burundi. This area is one of the main entry points for fuel illegally brought in from the DRC.

Locals are questioning the use of firearms against the victim. They believe the soldier could have fired warning shots to try to stop him without injuring him.

This incident comes amid recurring tensions between law enforcement and those involved in the clandestine trade of fuel from the DRC. Similar incidents have already claimed several victims in the villages of Ndava and Nyamitanga, in the Ndava zone of ​​the same province.

Burundi has been facing a fuel supply crisis for nearly six years. Due to repeated shortages, residents of Bujumbura travel to Uvira, a city in South Kivu, in eastern DRC, located near the Burundian border, to obtain fuel. In other localities in western and northwestern Burundi, some rely on supply routes through the Rusizi Plain.

In recent years, the shortages have been particularly severe. Some Bujumbura residents have traveled as far as the Cibitoke region to fill up their vehicles. The Kaburantwa zone is thus a major transit point for fuel coming from the DRC.

Some of this smuggled fuel ends up in Burundian markets, particularly in Bujumbura, where it is resold at prices up to five times the official rate, according to black market prices.

To avoid attracting the attention of law enforcement, sellers and buyers hide and conduct their transactions discreetly.

The victim was still alive after being transferred to Prince Regent Charles Hospital. His condition was, however, considered critical.

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Fuel vendors cross a flooded street at the Kavimvira border post between Burundi and the DRC in June 2024. A man involved in the illegal fuel trade was seriously wounded by a soldier’s gunshot in Kaburantwa, in northwestern Burundi, on October 29, 2026 (SOS Médias Burundi)