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Mabayi: the communal administrator prohibits girls and women from working in bars and bistros

A controversial decision taken by the communal administration of Mabayi prohibits women from working in drinking establishments, citing security reasons. This measure has sparked strong reactions among women’s rights defenders.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

The communal administration of Mabayi, in the province of Cibitoke (north-west Burundi), announced, in a press release issued on February 18, 2025, the ban on girls and women from exercising any professional activity in the bars and bistros of the commune. This decision has sparked a lively controversy, pitting women’s rights defenders against local authorities who cite security imperatives.

An immediate and strict ban

In this press release signed by Jeanne Izomporera, administrator of the commune of Mabayi, in the province of Cibitoke, northwestern Burundi, several measures were issued and made immediately applicable. From now on, girls and women will no longer be able to work in bars, bistros, cabarets and refreshment stands in the commune. Those who were already employed there are ordered to leave their posts immediately.

The communal administration is also imposing new restrictions on the establishments concerned: they will have to close at 9 p.m., while women must imperatively leave the premises before 8 p.m. The playing music after 7 p.m. is also prohibited, both in bars and in shops. Another controversial measure says girls and women can no longer rent accommodation and live there alone.

Measures justified by security reasons

Mabayi, in the province of Cibitoke, is located in a region bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Since the beginning of February 2025, around 10,000 Congolese refugees out of 42,000 that Burundi has received have crossed the Rusizi River to reach Burundi, fleeing clashes between the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC), their allies and the M23 rebels. The Rusizi separates Burundi and the vast Central African country.

According to a source within the municipal administration, this ban aims to prevent any « risk of infiltration of suspicious persons » through bars and bistros, considered to be privileged entry points for potentially dangerous individuals. Local authorities believe that these measures are necessary to guarantee security in a context of heightened tensions.

Strong protests from women’s rights defenders

While the authorities justify these restrictions by security imperatives, women’s rights groups denounce a « flagrant violation of fundamental rights ». According to them, these decisions restrict women’s professional autonomy and their right to housing, further marginalizing them in society.

“This regulation punishes a specific category of the population, by limiting their freedom of expression and their ability to provide for their needs,” denounce some feminist activists. They believe that these restrictions create blatant inequality by specifically excluding women from certain sectors of activity.

For their part, supporters of the measure hope that it will help establish a climate of serenity in an area weakened by regional instability. However, human rights defenders are calling for a reassessment of the decision, warning that it risks exacerbating inequalities and worsening the precariousness of the women concerned.

The controversy is far from being resolved and the future of these measures remains uncertain. This episode is part of a broader context of regional tensions and security challenges, where each political decision is scrutinized both for its impact on stability and for its consequences on the fundamental rights of citizens.

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A trading center in Mabayi where girls and women have been banned from working in beverage establishments (SOS Médias Burundi)