Rights group raises alarm on Burundi violence

KAMPALA, Uganda — Repression has intensified in Burundi as the country prepares to hold elections, according to a human-rights research group.

Abductions and killings target the government’s political opponents in rural areas where the crimes are likely to go unreported, according to the Burundi Human Rights Initiative report published Tuesday. The attacks often are carried out with the knowledge of local officials, the report says.

Violence persists even though President Pierre Nkurunziza will not be a candidate in the elections set for May. Nkurunziza, who has served three terms, is expected to remain influential behind the scenes.

“The discovery of dead bodies, many of them unidentified, in various provinces in Burundi continues to be a deeply disturbing phenomenon in early 2020,” the report says. “Some of the bodies have been found with their arms tied, with injuries, mutilations, or other indications that they did not die of natural causes.”

Most of the victims of the repression are members of the opposition National Freedom Council, whose leader is the president’s top opponent, the report says.

There are at least four sites across the country where some of those killed have been buried secretly in graves that do not identify them, according to the report, which cites anonymous sources in the ruling party who oppose the violations.

Allegations of rights abuses led Burundi to leave the International Criminal Court in 2017, making it the first country to do so. The government also kicked out the U.N. human-rights office. Burundi’s government strongly denies it targets its own people, saying such reports are malicious propaganda spread by opponents.

Gaston Sindimwo, first vice president of Burundi, dismissed the new report as one of many that “come as rumors in order to create fear among Burundians.”

“They have been saying so. There is nothing we can do so they may be satisfied. We are building our house, and when it is fully built, they will end up coming back to us. Let us mind our business, and let them mind their business,” he said.

The ruling party on Sunday chose its presidential candidate, a military general who is a close ally of the president. That decision signaled that Nkurunziza would step down.

But analysts believe a retired Nkurunziza will remain powerful behind the scenes. He is to be given the title of “paramount leader” under draft legislation approved by the government last week. The ruling party in 2018 declared him “the eternal supreme guide.”

For years, watchdog groups have raised concerns over allegations of impunity enjoyed by the Imbonerakure, a group of youths who are loyal to the ruling party. The group’s members also have been accused of chanting calls to “impregnate” or kill the regime’s opponents during political rallies.

Imbonerakure members have carried out most of the abuses, according to the report by the Burundi Human Rights Initiative, which says that many Burundians worry the regime is spreading fear to win the 2020 elections.