Burundi: Mass Arrests of Youth in Matana Spark Concerns

Matana, October 2, 2026 — Young people have been arrested since Sunday, September 27, in the Mugamba and Mwumba zones of Matana district, in Burunga province, southern Burundi. The current tally is six detainees at the Matana district police station. Others are reportedly being held at the Mugamba police station, though their number is unknown. According to several local sources, these arrests, carried out amid suspicions of armed infiltration, are being coordinated from Bujumbura, the countrys commercial capital, where the police command is located. Families are demanding information about the reasons for the arrests and the fate of their loved ones. An operation triggered by suspected infiltration According to local sources, the arrests began after information circulated within the police hierarchy regarding a possible infiltration of individuals described as rebels in this part of Matana. Arrests were reported in the villages of Muyange-Kavumu and Mwumba. Charles Bondo, provincial commissioner of the Internal Security Police (PSI) for Burunga, is cited as one of the officials involved in the operation. According to the same sources, the operation is being overseen at the General Inspectorate of the Burundi National Police (PNB) by Brigadier General Emmanuel Ndayiziga, Deputy Inspector General of Police, and Colonel Arthémon Nzitabakuze, head of the intelligence service within that institution. According to witnesses, the two officials reportedly visited the districts of Matana and Bururi this week to monitor the progress of the operation. The National Police have not officially commented on their possible role in coordinating the arrests. A wanted list reportedly circulated from Bujumbura. Several local sources claim that the names of some of the wanted youths were compiled or transmitted from the General Inspectorate of Police in Bujumbura before the operations began. According to these sources, this list allowed for the targeting of several individuals in different neighborhoods. No official list of wanted individuals or selection criteria have been made public. Families without precise information Relatives of those arrested say they do not know the specific charges against their loved ones or what legal proceedings are planned. They are particularly concerned about whether all those arrested are suspected of being involved in armed infiltration or if some were arrested for other reasons. Local sources also indicate that several detainees were questioned on Wednesday by Charles Bondo. The political past of some young people scrutinized According to several testimonies gathered in the region, some of those arrested are suspected of having participated in the 2015 protests against the controversial third term of the late President Pierre Nkurunziza. The villages in question are located in the former district of Mugamba, which was one of the centers of mobilization against this term. Residents believe that the political past of some young people could be taken into account in the current arrests. Police authorities have not confirmed this hypothesis. Since the 2015 crisis, young people as well as former members of the security forces have been arrested in various parts of the country, particularly in areas affected by the protests of that period. Among them were military personnel, gendarmes, and police officers from the former security structures—which were previously dominated by members of the Tutsi minority—prior to the gradual integration of former combatants, primarily from Hutu armed groups, as part of the peace process initiated by the August 2000 Arusha Agreement and subsequent accords. Some detainees were accused of collaborating with rebel movements or with individuals deemed enemies of the State. Deaths in custody have also been reported over the years among those arrested in this context. A regional context marked by tension These arrests come as Burundian authorities frequently warn of potential attacks by reb