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Bubanza : a teacher threatened with death because of his ethnicity

A teacher from the Gitsira primary school was the victim of death threats on his way home. The attack, which is said to have an ethnic motive, raises questions and highlights local tensions. Despite the arrest of two suspects, the teacher still fears for his safety and is asking to be transferred.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

This teacher from the Gitsira primary school (Ecofo), located in the Muramba zone, in the Bubanza province in western Burundi, says he fears for his life after receiving death threats from a group of young people. According to him, these threats were motivated by his belonging to the Tutsi ethnic group. Two suspects were arrested and placed in detention in the district cell.

An attack in broad daylight

The incident occurred around 3 p.m., after classes had ended for the day. As usual, Boniface Ndayishimiye, an English teacher at Ecofo Gitsira, was leaving the school to return home, located in the city center of Bubanza. His trip, which takes about two hours on foot, was interrupted halfway by a 17-year-old, Schadrack Dushimirimana, a resident of Giko village.

According to the teacher, the teenager blocked his way and threatened to kill him, accusing him of Tutsi origin. « Tutsi, we know what you are doing. We are not going to allow your existence here, » he allegedly said, while brandishing a bladed weapon.

A tense situation

Boniface Ndayishimiye says that his attacker spoke loudly, thus attracting the attention of local residents. A woman who witnessed the scene confirmed the seriousness of the situation. As several people approached, another individual intervened: Emmanuel Ntahomvukiye, a former inmate who served nine years for homicide. Armed with a machete and a bow, he reportedly increased the threat against the teacher.

Faced with this escalation of violence, residents, as well as the village chief and some members of the Imbonerakure (CNDD-FDD party youth league), intervened to calm down the situation. They were able to subdue Dushimirimana but hesitated to directly confront Ntahomvukiye.

Arrest of the suspects and teacher’s concern

Alerted, officers from the Bubanza district police station intervened and arrested the two youths around 5 p.m. An investigation is currently underway to clarify circumstances of the incident.

Meanwhile, Boniface Ndayishimiye expresses deep anxiety about his safety. « Going to teach in Gitsira when I have to cross this place where I was terrorized and threatened with death, alone, puts my life in danger, » he confides. He asks to be reassigned to another school to ensure his safety.

A transfer that is delayed

The provincial and district education directorate has been informed of the situation since February 12, but no decision has yet been made regarding the teacher’s transfer. This inaction raises questions about real motivations for the attack.

Is this a consequence of tensions linked to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo? Is it manipulation by the Imbonerakure on the conduct to adopt during this period? So many questions that remain unanswered.

It is noteworthy that the concerned teacher has been a member of the CNDD-FDD for two years, an element that adds additional complexity to this case.

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The building hosting the provincial office of Bubanza in western Burundi (SOS Médias Burundi)