United States officials report that six teens from Burundi who traveled to Washington DC to compete in the FIRST Global robotics competition have been unaccounted for since Tuesday night. The city’s police department posted social media messages on Thursday morning with photos of the missing six, asking people to help…
The African nations of Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo were top of mind Tuesday during an address by United Nations (UN) human rights head Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Zeid said that amid the world’s escalating crises and the suffering rooted in…
A Roman Catholic priest who was abducted in Burundi in April has died, following an ordeal from which he never recovered. Adolphe Ntahondereye was the vicar of St. Francesco Saverio parish in Gatumba, near the border with Democratic Republic of Congo. He was ambushed while traveling by bus on April…
The English-language New Times in Rwanda on Saturday described the Burundi government’s refusal to accept humanitarian aid because the food was grown in Rwanda as folly and “misplaced obstinacy.” “It is those kinds of immature politics we are witnessing across the border that has destroyed many countries,” the news outlet…
A widely circulated video of Burundi youth in the Imbonerakure militia chanting slogans about raping and killing their political opponents has met with condemnation from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said Tuesday that the video of the Imbonerakure, the youth wing of the ruling…
Kenyan athletes were ahead of the pack at the Boston Marathon race on Monday, winning both the men’s and the women’s competition at the premier marathon race. For the men, it was a little closer with Geoffrey Kirui completing the challenging course in 2:09:37, just seconds ahead of American runner…
Burundi has lost a cultural icon, and announces the death of Antime Baranshakaje, the 81-year-old guardian of the nation’s sacred Gishora drum tradition. Baranshakaje died on Sunday following a December accident and subsequent illness. President Pierre Nkurunziza hailed the drummer as a national treasure who left his mark on the history…
The International Criminal Court based in The Hague has warned that violent killings and related human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of Congo may meet criteria that fall within its legal mission. Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, a native of The Gambia, expressed concern over developments in DR Congo, particularly in…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Burundi Vice President Gaston Sindimwo said Thursday that his government plans to ask the United Nations to remove all its personnel and replace them because the UN and outsiders are “the source of all the problems Burundi is going through.” Sindimwo, speaking at a site for internally displaced Tutsis in…
Former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa will continue a round of talks Friday in Arusha aimed at resolving the political crisis in Burundi – but since the Government of Burundi refuses to attend, there is little optimism that the three-day talks will see any progress. Burundi’s refusal to participate, according to…
A report issued Thursday by the Human Rights Watch (HRW) organization calls for sanctions against individuals in Burundi responsible for summary executions, torture and other serious human rights violations. The HRW appeal follows an investigation and interviews with more than 20 victims, human rights activists and other witnesses who described…
Burundi’s decision to shut down the activities of ITEKA, a respected human rights organization active for the last 25 years, has added to the mounting concern over escalating violence and repression under President Pierre Nkurunziza, who recently floated the possibility that he might seek a fourth term. An order that…
Just minutes into the new year, Burundi began 2017 with the same shattered peace it has known too often in the nearly two years since President Pierre Nkurunziza announced he was seeking a third term. Emmanuel Niyonkuru, the Minister of Environment in Burundi, died in Bujumbura in what police officials…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Willy Nyamitwe, the highly vocal spokesman for Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza, has again taken to social media – this time to condemn a Washington Post story on poorly vetted United Nations peacekeepers from Burundi, and to blame Rwanda for advancing it. “A story sponsored by Rwanda cannot be reliable,” was Nyamitwe’s…
Willy Nyamitwe, the head of communications for Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza, was wounded in an attack Monday in Bujumbura, local media outlets report. At least one person died in the incident. Nyamitwe remained in the hospital after an armed attack described as an assassination attempt. He suffered injuries to his arms,…