Burundian Journalist Arrested for State Security Comments Faces Possible Life Sentence

Reporter Without Borders (RSF) is advocating for the immediate release of a Burundian journalist, Sandra Muhoza, who was detained on 12th April and is now facing potential life imprisonment on charges of endangering state security and ethnic loathing concerning her comments in a private WhatsApp group reserved for journalists.

Muhoza was arrested in Ngozi and subsequently transferred to the National Intelligence Agency headquarters in Bujumbura where she was held for five days before being moved to Mpimba prison. She is accused of making remarks on a WhatsApp group regarding the distribution of machetes to Imbonerakure youths by the CNDD-FDD party.

The family and lawyers of Muhoza claimed that the comments made on the WhatsApp group were related to reports about the CNDD-FDD party distributing machetes to Imbonerakure youth. After being invited for an interview with a businessman having ties to the SNR intelligence agency, she was arrested in Ngozi and later transferred to Bujumbura.

Furthermore, the tensions between Burundi and Rwanda have escalated due to the renewed attacks by the RED-Tabara rebel group, operating from the DRC’s South Kivu province. The attacks, targeting civilians, have led to Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye accusing Rwandan authorities of supporting the rebels, resulting in diplomatic strains and border closures between the two countries.

RED-Tabara, established in 2015 post a political crisis in Burundi, aims to restore the rule of law in the country, with its recent attacks raising concerns about its tactics and motivations, especially as they target civilian populations instead of government entities or strategic infrastructure.

The situation highlights the complex geopolitical dynamics in the Great Lakes region, where conflict actors such as the M23 rebel group, UN peacekeeping missions, and the involvement of neighboring countries like Rwanda and the DRC contribute to the region’s volatile environment.