Several Banyamulenge have been arrested in Burundi since early September, mainly in Bujumbura. A 70-year-old Congolese refugee was also detained at Bwagiriza, according to SOS Médias Burundi.
Several members of the Banyamulenge community have been arrested in Burundi since the beginning of September, amid tensions between Bujumbura and Kigali and the continuing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The latest reported case involves Ntole Rugonderani, a Congolese refugee aged about 70 who lives in Bwagiriza camp, in Ruyigi commune, Buhumuza province. According to SOS Médias Burundi, he was arrested at his home on September 20 by security agents and later taken by officers from the National Intelligence Service (SNR) to a location that was not disclosed to his family.
Rugonderani is described as a catechist with the Assemblies of God Church in Burundi. Witnesses cited by the media outlet said no arrest warrant was presented and that no specific explanation was given for his detention.
The official reason for his arrest remains unknown. Sources close to the case cited by SOS Médias Burundi said he had recently travelled to Rwanda to visit family members. Kivu24 could not independently verify that information.
Several arrests reported in Bujumbura
The detention of Rugonderani follows several arrests of Banyamulenge reported in Bujumbura.
Pastor Jalos Nkunda Kilaya was arrested on September 8 at Melchior Ndadaye International Airport while preparing to board a flight to Rwanda, according to SOS Médias Burundi. Security officers later searched his home.
On September 10, Pastor Gédéon Nzayitegaho, who leads the Carmel Church in Mutakura, was also arrested. The specific reasons for his detention were not publicly communicated to his family, according to the same source.
Pastor Mark Ntayoberwa and Murama Gatonzi have also been named among those arrested in reports on the recent detentions.
Following Jalos Nkunda Kilaya’s arrest, his wife, Jacqueline Nyiramasoso, and a young family member identified as Merci were also detained during a search of the family home, SOS Médias Burundi reported.
Rights groups raise concerns
SOS-Torture Burundi has also documented several arrests attributed to SNR agents. In its report covering September 13 to 20, the organisation reported two arrests in Bujumbura province that it described as part of what it considers persecution targeting the Banyamulenge community.
The two cases followed three other arrests documented in its previous report covering September 5 to 13. SOS-Torture described the detentions as arbitrary, an assessment made by the organisation that has not been established by a court ruling in the information available to Kivu24.
A tense regional context
The arrests come as fighting continues in eastern DRC and relations between Burundi and Rwanda remain tense.
The Banyamulenge, a Congolese community mainly living in the highlands of South Kivu, have become involved in several dynamics linked to the conflict. The Twirwaneho armed group, which is largely composed of Banyamulenge fighters, is involved in fighting in the South Kivu highlands and is allied with the AFC-M23.
Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of supporting AFC-M23, an allegation Kigali rejects. Against this backdrop, the movement of some Banyamulenge to Rwanda and their alleged links to actors involved in the conflict have drawn particular attention from Burundian security services.
Human rights defenders and community representatives have called for individual responsibility to be established and for detainees to be informed of the reasons for their detention.
As of publication, Burundian authorities had not publicly provided detailed explanations for all of the arrests reported.
SOURCES
- SOS Médias Burundi