Latest news with #Imbonerakure
CBS News
02-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
6 people accused of witchcraft killed, 2 of them burned alive, in Burundi, official says: "Unspeakable barbarity"
Six people accused of witchcraft were killed, burned alive, stoned or beaten by a militia in Burundi, a local official told AFP on Wednesday. The official and witnesses, who all asked for anonymity, said the incident happened on Monday after accusations made by members of the ruling party's powerful youth movement, known as the Imbonerakure. The group is described as a militia by the United Nations and rights organizations. "A group of young Imbonerakure entered the homes of about 10 people accused of witchcraft. They then attacked them," according to the official from Gasarara Hill, six miles east of Burundi's economic capital, Bujumbura. "Six people were killed, two of them burned alive. The others were beaten to death with clubs or stoned with large stones thrown at their heads," the official said. "It was horrific, unspeakable barbarity." The official said three further people were also beaten but were ultimately rescued after police intervened. Several unverified videos have circulated on social media since Tuesday. Some of the clips were authenticated to AFP by two witnesses, who also identified the group as the Imbonerakure. Several rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, have accused the Imbonerakure of killing and torturing dozens of people, particularly under the authoritarian rule of former president Pierre Nkurunziza, in power from 2005 until 2020. "Imbonerakure members, some of whom are armed, have arrested, ill-treated, and killed suspected opponents, sometimes in collaboration with or with the support of local administrative officials, police, or intelligence agents," according to Human Rights Watch. Bujumbura provincial governor Desire Nsengiyumva said on Tuesday that 12 people had been arrested over the incident. He denounced the "unacceptable mob justice," saying locals had wrongly attributed recent unexplained deaths to the victims. The tiny nation is predominantly Christian, and traditional beliefs are deeply rooted with unexplained deaths often blamed on witchcraft. Only last year, the Supreme Court sentenced a former prime minister to life imprisonment for charges "including using witchcraft to threaten the president's life, destabilizing the economy and illegal enrichment." Belief in witchcraft remains common in many rural communities along the west African coast, and elsewhere in the continent. Earlier this year, Amnesty International said hundreds of people suspected of witchcraft in Ghana face rampant human rights abuses including murder. In February, two men in Zambia were charged with practicing witchcraft and possessing charms intended to harm the country's president. Belief in witchcraft is also common in some rural communities in Angola despite strong opposition from the church in the predominantly Catholic former Portuguese colony. Last year, police said about 50 people died in Angola after being forced to drink an herbal potion to prove they were not sorcerers. During a 2009 trip to Angola, Pope Benedict urged Catholics to shun witchcraft and sorcery.
Daily Mail
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Six people accused of witchcraft are killed by mob who burn two alive, stone others to death or fatally beat them with clubs
Six people accused of witchcraft have been burned alive, stoned or beaten to death in an act of 'horrific, unspeakable barbarity' in Burundi. The mob dragged the group from their homes on Monday after accusations were made by members of the ruling party's powerful youth movement, known as the Imbonerakure, according to witnesses. Imbonerakure is described as a militia by the United Nations and rights organisations. The two men who were burned alive have been named locally as Rwoba and Bimara, as well as another man, Vinicius, who was beaten with sticks. The attacks came after unfounded rumours circulated around the cause of recent deaths including that of a teacher and child, RPA said. Locals blamed witchcraft as the reason, prompting the attacks. Bujumbura provincial governor Desire Nsengiyumva said yesterday that 12 people had been arrested over the incident. Four more have since been arrested, Le Journal Africa reported. Mr Nsengiyumva denounced the 'unacceptable mob justice', saying locals had wrongly attributed recent unexplained deaths to the victims. The tiny nation is predominantly Christian, and traditional beliefs are deeply rooted with unexplained deaths often blamed on witchcraft. Only last year, the Supreme Court sentenced a former prime minister to life imprisonment for charges 'including using witchcraft to threaten the president's life, destabilising the economy and illegal enrichment'. The official said three further people were also beaten but were ultimately rescued after police intervened. One victim remains in hospital, Le Journal Africa reported. 'A group of young Imbonerakure entered the homes of about 10 people accused of witchcraft. They then attacked them,' according to the official from Gasarara Hill, 10 kilometres east of Burundi's economic capital, Bujumbura. 'Six people were killed, two of them burned alive. The others were beaten to death with clubs or stoned with large stones thrown at their heads,' the official said. 'It was horrific, unspeakable barbarity.' Several unverified videos have circulated on social media since Tuesday but two clips set on Gasarara Hill, in the Nyabibondo area, were authenticated to AFP by two witnesses, who identified the group as the Imbonerakure. Several rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, have accused the Imbonerakure of killing and torturing dozens of people, particularly under the authoritarian rule of former president Pierre Nkurunziza, in power from 2005 until 2020.
Herald Sun
05-06-2025
- General
- Herald Sun
Burundi votes but with opposition neutered
Don't miss out on the headlines from Breaking News. Followed categories will be added to My News. Burundi votes for a new parliament on Thursday but with little risk of an upset after the main opposition was effectively barred from running. The impoverished, landlocked country in east Africa has seen decades of ethnic violence, civil war and authoritarian rule. The ruling CNDD-FDD party of President Evariste Ndayishimiye is accused of undermining its main opponent, the National Freedom Council (CNL), which came second at the last election in 2020 and claimed it was cheated. In 2023, the interior ministry suspended the CNL over "irregularities" in the way it organised its meetings. Then last year, the CNL ousted its leader, former militia commander-turned-politician Agathon Rwasa, while he was abroad. He was replaced by someone considered close to the ruling party, Nestor Girukwishaka, a former minister and senior executive at a state-owned company -- in what critics described as a government-orchestrated coup. The government then passed new rules that effectively barred Rwasa and his allies from joining other opposition parties or standing as independents. A Burundian analyst, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, said the ruling party was taking no chances because the elections were taking place amid "a very deep socio-economic crisis". The analyst said the country was facing "all sorts of shortages, galloping inflation of more than 40 percent per month and growing popular discontent". - 'Very difficult for us' - President Ndayishimiye took over following the death of his predecessor, Pierre Nkurunziza, who had isolated the country with his brutal and chaotic rule since 2005. While Ndayishimiye has been seen as relatively less authoritarian, Burundi's human rights record remains poor, with journalists, activists and opposition figures all facing severe repression. One of the candidates for Thursday's election, Patrick Nkurunziza -- no relation to the previous president -- of the opposition coalition Burundi for All, told AFP the campaign had been "very difficult for us". He said his members faced "threats, harassment and sometimes even attacks" from a government-aligned youth league known as the Imbonerakure. A group of media executives last month accused the Imbonerakure of arresting and torturing a journalist while he tried to work at the University of Burundi in the capital Bujumbura. A fuel shortage that has largely paralysed the country for nearly three years also made it difficult for opposition candidates to operate, said Nkurunziza. "In the absence of Agathon Rwasa's CNL, the CNDD-FDD is sure to win," said the analyst. Most of the other candidates are "token candidates, who are there just to show that democracy is still happening in Burundi", they added. Burundi experienced decades of ethnic violence and civil war up to 2005. Under a peace agreement signed in 2000, seats in the parliament are split 60-40 between the two ethnic groups, Hutu and Tutsi. Burundi remains one of the world's poorest countries with almost two-thirds living below the World Bank's poverty line of $2.15 per day. str-er/kjm Originally published as Burundi votes but with opposition neutered
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Burundi votes but with opposition neutered
Burundi votes for a new parliament on Thursday but with little risk of an upset after the main opposition was effectively barred from running. The impoverished, landlocked country in east Africa has seen decades of ethnic violence, civil war and authoritarian rule. The ruling CNDD-FDD party of President Evariste Ndayishimiye is accused of undermining its main opponent, the National Freedom Council (CNL), which came second at the last election in 2020 and claimed it was cheated. In 2023, the interior ministry suspended the CNL over "irregularities" in the way it organised its meetings. Then last year, the CNL ousted its leader, former militia commander-turned-politician Agathon Rwasa, while he was abroad. He was replaced by someone considered close to the ruling party, Nestor Girukwishaka, a former minister and senior executive at a state-owned company -- in what critics described as a government-orchestrated coup. The government then passed new rules that effectively barred Rwasa and his allies from joining other opposition parties or standing as independents. A Burundian analyst, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, said the ruling party was taking no chances because the elections were taking place amid "a very deep socio-economic crisis". The analyst said the country was facing "all sorts of shortages, galloping inflation of more than 40 percent per month and growing popular discontent". - 'Very difficult for us' - President Ndayishimiye took over following the death of his predecessor, Pierre Nkurunziza, who had isolated the country with his brutal and chaotic rule since 2005. While Ndayishimiye has been seen as relatively less authoritarian, Burundi's human rights record remains poor, with journalists, activists and opposition figures all facing severe repression. One of the candidates for Thursday's election, Patrick Nkurunziza -- no relation to the previous president -- of the opposition coalition Burundi for All, told AFP the campaign had been "very difficult for us". He said his members faced "threats, harassment and sometimes even attacks" from a government-aligned youth league known as the Imbonerakure. A group of media executives last month accused the Imbonerakure of arresting and torturing a journalist while he tried to work at the University of Burundi in the capital Bujumbura. A fuel shortage that has largely paralysed the country for nearly three years also made it difficult for opposition candidates to operate, said Nkurunziza. "In the absence of Agathon Rwasa's CNL, the CNDD-FDD is sure to win," said the analyst. Most of the other candidates are "token candidates, who are there just to show that democracy is still happening in Burundi", they added. Burundi experienced decades of ethnic violence and civil war up to 2005. Under a peace agreement signed in 2000, seats in the parliament are split 60-40 between the two ethnic groups, Hutu and Tutsi. Burundi remains one of the world's poorest countries with almost two-thirds living below the World Bank's poverty line of $2.15 per day. str-er/kjm
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Burundi votes but with opposition neutered
Burundi votes for a new parliament on Thursday but with little risk of an upset after the main opposition was effectively barred from running. The impoverished, landlocked country in east Africa has seen decades of ethnic violence, civil war and authoritarian rule. The ruling CNDD-FDD party of President Evariste Ndayishimiye is accused of undermining its main opponent, the National Freedom Council (CNL), which came second at the last election in 2020 and claimed it was cheated. In 2023, the interior ministry suspended the CNL over "irregularities" in the way it organised its meetings. Then last year, the CNL ousted its leader, former militia commander-turned-politician Agathon Rwasa, while he was abroad. He was replaced by someone considered close to the ruling party, Nestor Girukwishaka, a former minister and senior executive at a state-owned company -- in what critics described as a government-orchestrated coup. The government then passed new rules that effectively barred Rwasa and his allies from joining other opposition parties or standing as independents. A Burundian analyst, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, said the ruling party was taking no chances because the elections were taking place amid "a very deep socio-economic crisis". The analyst said the country was facing "all sorts of shortages, galloping inflation of more than 40 percent per month and growing popular discontent". - 'Very difficult for us' - President Ndayishimiye took over following the death of his predecessor, Pierre Nkurunziza, who had isolated the country with his brutal and chaotic rule since 2005. While Ndayishimiye has been seen as relatively less authoritarian, Burundi's human rights record remains poor, with journalists, activists and opposition figures all facing severe repression. One of the candidates for Thursday's election, Patrick Nkurunziza -- no relation to the previous president -- of the opposition coalition Burundi for All, told AFP the campaign had been "very difficult for us". He said his members faced "threats, harassment and sometimes even attacks" from a government-aligned youth league known as the Imbonerakure. A group of media executives last month accused the Imbonerakure of arresting and torturing a journalist while he tried to work at the University of Burundi in the capital Bujumbura. A fuel shortage that has largely paralysed the country for nearly three years also made it difficult for opposition candidates to operate, said Nkurunziza. "In the absence of Agathon Rwasa's CNL, the CNDD-FDD is sure to win," said the analyst. Most of the other candidates are "token candidates, who are there just to show that democracy is still happening in Burundi", they added. Burundi experienced decades of ethnic violence and civil war up to 2005. Under a peace agreement signed in 2000, seats in the parliament are split 60-40 between the two ethnic groups, Hutu and Tutsi. Burundi remains one of the world's poorest countries with almost two-thirds living below the World Bank's poverty line of $2.15 per day. str-er/kjm
