SOS Médias Burundi

Mahama, July 27, 2025 – A newborn baby was discovered abandoned at dawn on Friday, July 25, in an isolated area of the Mahama refugee camp in eastern Rwanda. This is the second similar case reported in less than two weeks, causing concern among camp residents.

Around 5:00 a.m., refugees heading outside the camp in search of work heard a baby crying coming from a sandy patch of land known as « Ku Musenyi, » at the edge of Village 9. The newborn was wrapped in a 25-kg bag of rice.

Alerted, the witnesses quickly contacted local authorities and law enforcement. The baby was first taken to the Mahama I health center before being transferred to the Kirehe District Referral Hospital for further medical care.

« The child had clearly just been born. He was still bleeding and hadn’t even been wiped dry. It was clear that no care had been provided, » said refugees at the scene. According to medical sources, the child, a boy, is now out of danger: « He is breathing normally and his health is stable. He will recover. »

A Burundian teenage girl arrested

The police immediately launched an investigation, including systematic checks in all the camp’s villages to identify any recently pregnant women or girls. That evening, the baby’s presumed mother was found. She is a 16-year-old Burundian girl from the district of Busoni, in Kirundo province (Nyarunazi sector). A resident of Village 9, Mahama I Zone, Community 50 (Gate 7A), she was taken into custody by the camp’s investigative police.

The authorities promised that justice would be done. « The mother will be arrested and punished according to the law, » the Rwandan police said.

A still recent precedent

This tragedy comes after another case of infanticide had already been reported less than two weeks earlier. A Congolese refugee from Village 15 had thrown her baby into a latrine. She was also apprehended by the police.

These events have shaken the camp community, where several residents point to the precarious living conditions as an aggravating factor in such tragedies. In response to this situation, the police have promised tough measures to deter any similar acts, while community leaders are calling for stronger awareness campaigns on reproductive health and psychological support.

The Mahama camp currently hosts more than 75,000 refugees, mostly of Burundian origin.