ACAT-Burundi Human Rights Violations Monitoring Report – December 2025

December 2025 remained marked by serious human rights violations in Burundi, against the backdrop of a persistent political and security crisis ongoing since 2015. Through its monitoring work, ACAT-Burundi documented an alarming situation characterized by repeated violations of the right to life, physical integrity, and individual liberty, carried out in a climate of near-total impunity.
During the period under review, ACAT-Burundi recorded 27 cases of killings, 3 cases of abductions, 1 case of arbitrary arrest, and 3 cases of torture. Numerous lifeless bodies were discovered in various parts of the country (rivers, fields, bushes, or homes), often without prior identification or the opening of judicial investigations, in blatant violation of the Burundian Code of Criminal Procedure. These hasty burials, ordered by administrative or security authorities, raise serious concerns regarding the concealment of grave crimes.
Abductions and acts of torture, notably attributed to agents of the National Intelligence Service and members of the Imbonerakure militia, continue to target civilians, opposition members, and ordinary citizens. Victims are frequently detained in undisclosed locations, denied legal and medical assistance, and sometimes released in critical condition or reported missing.
In light of this situation, ACAT-Burundi denounces the persistent failure of judicial institutions and human rights protection bodies, as well as the complicity or passivity of certain local authorities. The organization calls on the Burundian government to put an end to these violations, ensure independent and credible investigations, and bring perpetrators to justice. It also urges the international community to strengthen its monitoring of the human rights situation in Burundi in order to prevent a further escalation of violence and to support victims in their pursuit of justice.
Please find below the full monthly report for December 2025:
Human rights violations monitoring report for December 2025