Many people have been arrested or abducted in the north-western of Burundi, suspected to collaborate with Burundian rebels based in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Some have never been found.
A man from the Ndava zone, Buganda commune in Cibitoke province, was arrested at his home on Sunday night. According to his family, the arrest resembled a kidnapping and was carried out by men in military uniform. His family has not been informed of the reasons for his arrest or of his destination. She is worried for her safety.
Just after 10pm on Sunday March 17, cries of distress and pleading resounded in the Bumwe district of the Ndava zone in Buganda commune. These were the family members of Melchior Ndikumana, a teacher in the Ndava zone. “People in military uniform forced their way into Melchior Ndikumana’s home and then loaded him into a white double-cab pickup truck, after mistreating and beating his wife and children,” recounts one of the family’s neighbors.
Our source also indicates that he was a victim of having belonged, a few years ago, to the CNL party. “But because he had been persecuted, he abandoned this political party. Now he has no political affiliation”, she explains.
The family has not been informed of the reasons for his arrest. They are also unaware of his fate, and are calling for his rights to be respected. “We tried to follow the vehicle that took him away, and we learned that it was headed for Bujumbura. We are warning that he will not be executed like the others.”
To date, the educator’s whereabouts are unknown. In recent days, several people, including civil servants, have been arrested or abducted in the provinces of Bubanza and Cibitoke in north-western Burundi, on suspicion of collaborating with Burundian rebels based in the eastern DRC province of Sud-Kivu, which borders the two provinces.
Some have never been found.
