A fire broke out Tuesday morning at Kinindo Market in southern Bujumbura, destroying part of the market and adding to a growing series of fires that have ravaged markets and commercial centers across Burundi this year.
Witnesses said the fire was reported at around 10 a.m. and appeared to have started in the section where mattresses are sold. Some traders managed to rescue part of their merchandise before the flames spread.
“I was inside the market when I saw the fire break out, more precisely on the mattress side, and we rushed to save our goods,” a clothing trader told local media.
The blaze burned for about an hour before being brought under control by the Civil Protection Police and the Burundi Red Cross. The extent of the damage and financial losses was not immediately known.
Finance Minister Alain Ndikumana visited the scene after leaving a meeting at the Donatus Conference Center, about a kilometer from the market. He called for an immediate investigation into the cause of the fire.
“We deplore this fire that has just occurred here, because, as you can see, we have been experiencing this kind of incident for quite some time,” Ndikumana said. He added that the government was expected to investigate the recurring fires and determine measures to prevent them.
However, civil society organizations have criticized the repeated announcements of investigations, arguing that authorities have rarely made public what those investigations ultimately uncover.
The latest fire has also renewed calls for government support for affected traders. No official assistance mechanism for victims of the fires reported since the beginning of the year has been announced so far. Ndikumana said the government would examine the issue and consider appropriate measures.
Opposition and civil society demand action
The opposition Sahwanya FRODEBU party called on the government to strengthen security at markets and commercial centers, arguing that repeated fires have caused major economic losses.
Party spokesman Sylvestre Bikorindagara said that around 20 fires had occurred since 2011 and that many were suspected of having criminal origins, yet investigations had not publicly identified those responsible.
He urged the government to conduct technical and security audits of existing markets and commercial centers to identify vulnerabilities, establish the causes of the fires and strengthen prevention and firefighting systems.
The civil society organization PARCEM called for a joint investigative commission to examine both the causes and economic impact of the fires.
“The government should take responsibility by urgently conducting a study to quantify the impact of these fires on the national economy,” PARCEM national director Faustin Ndikumana said in comments to local media.
He argued that authorities should be able to quantify the country’s losses quickly and introduce short- and medium-term measures to assist victims. He also suggested that the government consider whether banks could suspend or reduce interest payments on loans held by traders whose businesses were destroyed by fire.
The opposition CNL party expressed sympathy for traders affected by the latest incidents, saying recurring fires at markets and other commercial sites were destroying property and leaving victims in distress.
UPRONA president Olivier Nkurunziza described the situation as more than a temporary crisis.
“This is no longer simply a crisis, but rather an endemic, widespread problem,” Nkurunziza said. “The government must take the necessary measures to protect markets, because Burundi’s economy is under attack.”
He warned that continued fires, combined with the country’s broader economic difficulties, could further worsen living conditions and potentially drive more Burundians to leave the country.
Nkurunziza proposed installing surveillance cameras in markets and commercial galleries as part of stronger security measures.
Traders call for stronger market security
The Association of Traders of Burundi (ACOBU) also expressed concern over mounting losses suffered by businesses and called on the authorities to reassure the public.
“Security in markets and other commercial places must be a priority,” ACOBU president Antoine Muzaneza said.
The association plans to meet with security officials and market committees to discuss ways of preventing future incidents. It is also advocating the installation of surveillance systems, including cameras, in markets.
Muzaneza further called for clearly defined opening and closing hours to make it easier for security services to monitor the markets.
He urged the government to break its “silence” and show solidarity with people affected by the fires as the incidents continue to spread across commercial areas.
A growing pattern of market fires
The Kinindo blaze comes amid a series of fires that have struck Burundi’s markets and public commercial spaces in recent months.
Last week, two major shopping galleries in central Bujumbura were destroyed by fire. Authorities had not immediately established the cause or released a full assessment of the losses.
The incident came less than two months after a fire destroyed about 80% of the central market in Ngozi, in northern Burundi, killing one person.
The repeated incidents have intensified pressure on the government to publicly account for the causes of the fires, strengthen fire prevention and response systems, and provide assistance to traders who lose their livelihoods.
For many traders, Tuesday’s fire at Kinindo is therefore not an isolated incident but another warning that stronger security and emergency measures are urgently needed.
