Third Quarter 2026 (July–September 2026)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Monitoring carried out by ACAT-Burundi from July to September 2026 highlights a serious deterioration in detention conditions and respect for the rule of law in Burundian prisons.
Key developments during the period
Intolerable overcrowding: Based on cases documented by ACAT-Burundi and data from Ligue Iteka’s July–September 2026 report, overcrowding has worsened nationwide, reaching a critical overall occupancy rate of 292% (12,521 detainees). Occupancy rates have reached inhumane levels in facilities monitored by ACAT-Burundi, including Ngozi men’s prison (465.75%, or 1,863 detainees) and Gitega (358.25%, or 1,433 detainees), as well as Mpimba (528%, or 4,226 detainees) and Muramvya (771%, or 771 detainees), documented by Ligue Iteka. This situation results from the excessive use of pre-trial detention: people awaiting trial now account for 49.99% of the national prison population, nearly half of the total at Gitega (701 remand detainees out of 1,433, according to ACAT-Burundi sources for September 2026).
