Politics

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...

BRUSSELS (Feb. 13, 2025) — Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have called for the immediate suspension of the EU’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Sustainable Raw Materials Value Chains with Rwanda, following ongoing violence and a humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In a resolution adopted Thursday, MEPs strongly condemned...

Nairobi, Kenya (Feb. 8, 2025) — On a list of 462 Burundian migrants who are expected to be deported from the United States, 11 individuals are currently detained in Nairobi, are at the center of an international human trafficking investigation, according to a press release from the National Observatory for the Fight against Transnational Crime (ONLCT).

ARUSHA, Tanzania, February 11, 2025 – The East African Court of Justice (EACJ) is preparing to host its 3rd Annual Judicial Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, from February 18-19, 2025, at the Marriott Hotel, amidst rising tensions between several East African nations. The court’s rotational session will follow, taking place from February 24 to March 7, 2025, at...

Leaders from the East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) gathered in Dar es Salaam on Thursday to address the worsening security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The summit, co-chaired by Kenya's President William Ruto and Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa, brought together heads of state from nine African countries to...

Nearly 3,000 people have been killed and another 2,880 injured since January 26 in ongoing attacks by the M23 armed group and its allies, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The violence, including the use of heavy weapons in populated areas, has intensified as M23 forces clash with the Democratic Republic of Congo’s...

The African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights issued a landmark ruling on February 5, 2025, declaring that the United Republic of Tanzania violated human rights protections under the African Charter by mandatorily imposing the death penalty. The Court has ordered significant reforms to the country's penal code and judicial practices. The case, filed...

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) continues to offer protection to vulnerable populations, despite mounting challenges from escalating hostilities in the mineral-rich region of North Kivu. Vivian van de Perre, deputy head of MONUSCO, briefed journalists from Goma, the regional capital, on the ongoing crisis, emphasizing that the...

Burundi President Evariste Ndayishimiye issued a stark warning on Friday, vowing that his country would not hesitate to defend itself if the ongoing conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is not deescalated . Speaking to diplomatic representatives in Bujumbura, Ndayishimiye expressed grave concern over Rwanda’s actions in the eastern DRC, accusing the country...