Five bodies including three men and two women were found on Ndava and Ruhagarika hills in Buganda commune, Cibitoke province (north-western Burundi) in less than a week, local residents report. The bodies were allegedly killed elsewhere and dumped in the area.
Information confirmed by the administration admitting that the incident occured in unclear circumstances.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

The most recent case is that of the body of a man tied up and in full decomposition seen on Ruhagarika hill some 800 meters from the coast of Rusizi, separating Burundi and the DRC on Tuesday July 16.

“The deceased have allegedly been killed elsewhere and his body left there,” say witnesses who first saw the tied-up decomposing corpse.

According to a security source, two other bodies were found on Friday July 12 in complete decomposition, this time they were women.

“These unidentified corpses were recovered on transverse road 3 in the Ndava area very close to the Kagunuzi river,” reports a police source who spoke to SOS Médias Burundi on condition of anonymity.

Two other bodies were seen in the middle of last week at junction 7 of Buganda zone and commune.

All five bodies were not identified and were buried by the Imbonerakure (members of the CNDD-FDD youth league) on the orders of the municipal administrator.

« No investigation or alert to families who have lost a member has been made,” residents lament.

Some residents contacted speak of a vehicle with tinted windows seen notably on the night of July 11, which reportedly transported these people’s corpses, probably killed elsewhere.

« Our commune has been transformed into a cemetery,” according to them. They demand independent investigations.

Pamphile Hakizimana, Buuganda municipal administrator, confirmed the discovery of the five corpses though an investigation is ongoing and that he ordered their hasty burial « in order to protect the population against potencial illnesses ».

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A police officer hoists the Burundian flag in Buganda not far from the border with Congo in the area where the bodies were discovered