Burundi : the Mpimba Prison director and two officials arrested for granting privileges to a businessman accused of trading with the M23

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, November 12, 2026 —

The director of Bujumbura Central Prison, located in the commercial capital and known as Mpimba, Police Colonel Jimmy Ndayishimiye, along with two other officials from the prison, are held by the National Intelligence Service (SNR). They are suspected of granting privileges to businessman Aloys Ntakarutimana, nicknamed Wakenya, who is accused of conducting business in an area controlled by the M23, an armed group that Burundian forces are fighting alongside the Congolese army in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

According to sources who spoke to SOS Médias Burundi, the prison director and Spès Caritas Shurweryimana, in charge of social affairs, were arrested Thursday morning while responding to a summons at the SNR headquarters in the commercial capital, Bujumbura.

The third official, a police major in charge of prison security, was arrested Wednesday evening, according to sources close to the case.

His arrest occurred the same evening as that of businessman Aloys Ntakarutimana, known by the nickname Wakenya. Wakenya is accused of conducting business in an area controlled by the M23 in eastern DRC.

Sources whose information has not yet been verified by SOS Médias Burundi indicate that the businessman went to his home on the day of the police major’s arrest.

Aloys Ntakarutimana was also taken to the SNR’s cells, where he had already been held for several weeks before his transfer to Mpimba on April 7.

Privileges even within the prison

The three prison officials are suspected of having granted preferential treatment to the businessman, notably by facilitating his movements outside the prison while he was detained.

Sources who spoke to SOS Médias Burundi also mentioned privileges he allegedly received within the prison itself.

According to these sources, Aloys Ntakarutimana had, in particular, a cell he had built for his exclusive use. He spent part of his evenings there to relax, in conditions that differed from those of the other inmates.

Our sources suggest rivalries and denunciations within the prison may have drawn the attention of intelligence services to the advantages granted to the businessman.

“No doubt jealous individuals or informants for the National Intelligence Service (SNR) inside the prison provided information about these privileges,” they suggest.

On several occasions, Aloys Ntakarutimana also reportedly received permission to leave the prison to seek medical treatment outside of prison.

According to our sources, his movements were sometimes difficult to organize, as many police officers were unable to accompany him. The head of the prison police reportedly took it upon himself to personally escort him on several occasions, particularly during his medical appointments.

The same sources indicate that Burundian authorities conducted parallel investigations into the businessman’s movements and health, without informing prison officials. They were specifically seeking to verify the veracity of the health problems cited to justify his outings.

A businessman with a history of involvement with the National Intelligence Service (SNR)

Aloys Ntakarutimana, long considered a protégé of the ruling CNDD-FDD party, was detained in the SNR’s cells for several weeks before his transfer to Mpimba prison on April 7, 2026.

He was transferred to this prison at the same time as another prominent member of the ruling party.

His arrest comes at a particularly sensitive time, as Burundian forces are engaged alongside the Congolese army against the M23 in eastern DRC. Accusations of conducting business in an area controlled by this armed group raise questions about the business relationships maintained with territories under its control.

So far, no official statement has been released regarding the precise reasons for the arrest of the three prison officials, the formal charges against them, or the legal proceedings that will follow.

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Businessman Aloys Ntakarutimana, nicknamed Wakenya, is accused of conducting business in an area controlled by the M23 in eastern DRC. He is at the center of a case that led to the arrest of three officials at Mpimba Central Prison (SOS Médias Burundi)