UN Commission Finds Evidence of Continued Human Rights Violations in Burundi

Former Burundian President, Pierre Nkurunziza, pictured above, oversaw an administration plagued by human rights abuses.

Human rights abuses persist in Burundi despite the election of a new government earlier this year, according to a new report released September 17. The report, written by the UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi, outlines instances of physical violence, including rape and murder, as well as political intimidation and abuses against children.

The report states that the commission “still has reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity… have been committed in Burundi.” This is despite the country’s recent transfer of power, which gave rise to initial hopes that abuses would decline. The country’s new president, Évariste Ndayishimiye, entered office in May, but hopes were quickly dashed as Ndayishimiye did little to change his predecessor's policies.

Of particular concern was Ndayishimiye’s decision to appoint several individuals accused of human rights violations to high-ranking government positions. Currently, two members of the presidential cabinet are under Western sanctions over their alleged violent repression of street protests, and multiple military officials accused of rights violations have received promotions. 

The Commission’s report examined the period leading up to and shortly following the May election, in which Ndayishimiye received 71 percent of the vote. The election itself was marked by misconduct, violence, and abuse. Investigators documented widespread intimidation leading up to the election, with authorities threatening voters, third-party election observers, and journalists. These efforts were designed to limit the turnout for Burundi’s main opposition party, the National Freedom Council (CNL). 

Although the report mainly noted human rights abuses prior to the election and in its immediate aftermath, the political crisis in Burundi is not new. Violence erupted in 2015 after former president Pierre Nkurunziza announced he would run for an unconstitutional third term. As a result, nearly 1,200 people were killed, and hundreds of thousands of citizens were displaced. 

Ndayishimiye is a member of the country’s ruling party, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD). A large section of the report outlined how the CNDD-FDD has been forcing young Burundians to join the Imbonerakure, the party’s youth league. This group, along with the national military, has been implicated in extensive human rights abuses, including beatings and kidnappings, while facing few consequences. 

The report details cases in which adolescents have been harmed as a means of intimidating adult family members. The head of the Commission, Lucy Asuagbor, said that “[the Commision] very much fear[s] the consequences of the 2015 crisis for Burundi’s future, not least because of the long-term impact it will have on the children.” 

UN oversight of the human rights situation in the country has also proved difficult due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Commission is due to make its final report on September 23.