Here’s What’s Happening in Burundi and Why the US is Worried about Human Rights

 

Burundi, an East African nation with a history of political violence and human rights issues, is facing renewed repression and instability under President Évariste Ndayishimiye, according to U.S. assessments.

What human rights abuses are occurring and who are the perpetrators? Human rights violations in Burundi involve unlawful and arbitrary killings, forced disappearances, torture, arbitrary arrests and detentions, political prisoners, and restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly. Violence against women and minorities has also been reported.

Security forces, intelligence services, and the ruling party’s youth militia, known as the Imbonerakure, mainly carry out such abuses with impunity, often targeting perceived opposition members, critics, or activists.

A UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi found that violations have continued and intensified since Ndayishimiye took office in 2020 after a questionable election. The commission documented hundreds of cases of killings, disappearances, torture, and sexual violence, as well as threats against journalists, activists, and opposition members.

It determined abuses were systematic, widespread, and amounted to crimes against humanity, aimed at silencing dissent and consolidating ruling party control by eliminating potential challenges. The political climate in Burundi remains repressive and unstable according to international monitors.