Burundi : 21 residents detained for demanding fertilizers, three infants caught in arrests in Nyabihanga

SOS Médias Burundi

Gitega, November 12, 2026 — At least 21 residents of Rango village, in the Murago zone of ​​Nyabihanga district, Gitega province, central Burundi, remain detained after protesting the distribution of insufficient quantities of chemical fertilizers. Four women and three infants are among those still in custody. The Association for the Fight Against Unemployment and Torture (ALUCHOTO) denounces the unlawful arrests and demands the unconditional release of all residents arrested in Nyabihanga.

The first arrests took place on Saturday, October 31. Léa Nijimbere, CNDD-FDD representative in Rango village, and Bernard Barihinyuza, the local chief, were among those arrested. On Friday, November 6, 16 more residents were arrested.

Local sources claim that the Murago zone chief, Ignace Ntawuhiganayo, is behind these arrests. When contacted by SOS Médias Burundi, he referred us to the Nyabihanga district administrator, Marie Chantal Niyonzima, who was unavailable when we tried to reach her.

Those arrested are held in the Nyabihanga district jail. Local sources corroborated by SOS Médias Burundi indicate that members of the Imbonerakure, the youth wing of the ruling party, participated in the arrests.

The residents’ anger stemmed from the distribution of fertilizers. After paying, some households expected to receive 16 kilograms per person, but some received less. The protest escalated into clashes with administrative officials. Stones were thrown, damaging the windows of the zone’s offices. According to local sources, the residents themselves bought and installed new panes of glass to replace the old ones.

“They are accused of inciting the population to revolt,” a source explained, regarding the charges against those arrested.

For ALUCHOTO, these protests do not justify arrests carried out outside of legal procedures. Its coordinator, Vianney Ndayisaba, denounced, in particular, nighttime arrests conducted by individuals who, according to him, are not authorized to arrest citizens.

Reached by phone on Thursday, November 12, by SOS Médias Burundi, he confirmed that at least 21 residents remained in detention, including four women and three infants.

Protests related to fertilizer distribution have also been reported in other parts of the country. On October 26, residents of Busangana, in the district of Matongo, Butanyerera province, northern Burundi, blocked the Bukeye-Kayanza road to protest insufficient fertilizer deliveries. Traffic resumed after the arrival of a truck loaded with fertilizers.

On October 30, residents of Kabanga, in the district of Rutana, Burunga province, in the southeast of the country, barricaded the Rutana-Gihofi road with tree trunks. They were protesting the lack of deliveries to their area, while neighboring villages had already received supplies. The road was cleared after the arrival of a truck carrying fertilizers.

On Wednesday, November 11, at a press conference held in Bujumbura, Burundi’s commercial capital, Vianney Ndayisaba demanded the unconditional release of all residents arrested in Nyabihanga. He denounced the arrests as irregular and called on the authorities to end their detention.

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Residents of Gitega wait at a distribution point for chemical fertilizers, the available quantities of which remain insufficient. In Nyabihanga, 21 people, including three infants, are being detained after demanding their fertilizers (SOS Médias Burundi)