Politics

On March 24, 2025, the Muslim community in Rulindo District, Northern Rwanda, sent a formal request to the district mayor, seeking permission to hold Eid al-Fitr prayers at open-air venues after Ramadan. The community proposed five locations—Mahaza, Bugaragara, Rutonde, Mugambazi, and Gasiza—for the prayers, which they stated would not take long. "We request permission...

The National Communication Council (CNC) has temporarily suspended the activities of "Yaga Burundi," a blogging collective that has operated for almost a decade in Burundi. The decision, announced Thursday by CNC President Espérance Ndayizeye, follows the group’s failure to meet legal registration requirements. Despite submitting an application to register as a newspaper in 2022, "Yaga Burundi" did...

Rwandan authorities have confirmed the extradition of Gitanga Prince, a key suspect in the violent assault of 19-year-old Burundian national Guy Divin Haberumugabo. Gitanga, who had fled to Uganda after the attack, was handed over to Rwandan officials this Saturday following an international arrest warrant issued through a mutual legal assistance framework. “Today, Rwanda...

Bujumbura, Burundi — March 8, 2025 — The National Observatory for the Fight Against Transnational Crime (ONLCT) expressed grave concern as International Women's Day 2025 approaches, highlighting the ongoing issue of human trafficking in Burundi. The organisation says despite the government’s efforts to create a legal framework for safe migration, criminal networks continue to exploit women and...

On Feb. 9, M23 fighters gave Tumusifu, her six children, and all other residents of the Bulengo displacement camp just 72 hours to leave. For the second time in weeks, they were forced to pick up their belongings and flee. In January, they were among the hundreds of thousands who sought refuge from the...

UNITED NATIONS (Feb. 21, 2025) — The United Nations Security Council on Friday condemned Rwanda’s support for the M23 rebel group and demanded the immediate withdrawal of both from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) cities of Goma and Bukavu, marking a significant escalation in efforts to resolve the crisis in eastern DRC. The...

These operational challenges have been exacerbated by ongoing misinformation and disinformation campaigns, which have misled the public about the role of UN peacekeepers, said the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in the DRC and head of the peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, during a press briefing at UN Headquarters via video link from the DRC. However, the mission...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Rwandan Minister James Kabarebe and senior militant Lawrence Kanyuka Kingston for their roles in supporting the March 23 Movement (M23) in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The sanctions, announced Tuesday, aim to hold key figures accountable for their involvement in destabilizing the region.

The Burundian government has rejected claims from human rights activists and some media organizations that it is targeting Banyamulenge and Rwandans in Burundi. Martin Niteretse, the minister of Internal Affairs and Public Security, said during a press conference Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, that the Burundian police had conducted routine screenings of foreign nationals living in the country,...

A 2021 study by the Ministry of Solidarity, in collaboration with UNICEF, found that Burundi had at least 7,000 street children or children begging on the streets. The study showed that 90% of them were boys, while 10% were girls. Poverty and multifaceted family conflicts are behind the children’s decision to join the streets, where some give...