SOS Médias Burundi

Rumonge, August 22, 2025 – With village elections scheduled for Monday, August 25, the Kanyenkoko neighborhood, located in the city of Rumonge, in Burunga province (southern part of the country), is rocked by political tensions. Three candidates – Moïse Ntirandekura alias Musore, Jean Paul Habonimana, and Venant Issa Havyarimana – are denouncing intimidation and persecution aimed at preventing them from being elected.

It all began on August 14, when the Rumonge Independent District Electoral Commission (CECI) arbitrarily removed four candidates from the list without providing any explanation. The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) ruled in their favor, allowing them to resume their campaign.

But on Friday, August 21, while they were campaigning, three of them—Moïse Ntirandekura, Jean Paul Habonimana, and Venant Issa Havyarimana—were arrested by agents of the National Intelligence Service (SNR), accused of organizing an unauthorized demonstration while holding placards. They were taken into custody at the provincial police station and released after questioning, as the police did not file any charges.

« We respect the party’s instructions and the law. Our only offense is wanting to represent our village without giving in to pressure from certain local officials, » said one of the candidates.

According to several Kanyenkoko residents, these three candidates are members of the ruling party, the CNDD-FDD. Internal dissensions within local structures are believed to be behind these maneuvers : some officials are reportedly seeking to impose candidates more favorable to their influence, to the detriment of those deemed too independent.

As the election approaches, these incidents are rekindling concerns about the transparency of the electoral process and respect for candidates’ rights. The campaign officially began on August 5.