Burundi’s police and anti-drug organizations have raised alarm over what they describe as a worrying rise in drug consumption and trafficking across the country, with police accusing some local administrators of protecting suspected traffickers.
Speaking to local media on Monday, Jovinion Minani, commander of the Burundi National Police’s Anti-Drug Unit, said the drug problem has reached an alarming level nationwide.
“The phenomenon has reached a worrying level across the country,” Minani said, without providing additional figures.
He also warned of the potential threat posed by so-called “electronic drugs,” which he said have not yet reached Burundi but are emerging elsewhere.
“If we do not join forces to fight these narcotics, the consequences could be enormous. We are already hearing about electronic drugs, even though they have not yet reached our country,” he said.
Minani alleged that some local administrators have become complicit in drug trafficking by tipping off suspects before police operations.
“In every neighborhood, drug traffickers are known. Unfortunately, some are protected by their neighbors or even local administrators who warn them whenever police raids are planned, allowing them to escape,” he said.
The warnings were echoed by the Organization for the Fight Against Drug Consumption (OLUCOS), which says drug abuse and trafficking have intensified in Burundi.
According to OLUCOS President Raphael Ngendakumana, the organization’s 2025 survey estimates that between 3,452 and 4,183 people regularly consume psychoactive substances across the country’s communes.
The survey found that men account for 57 percent of users, women 19 percent, boys 21 percent, and girls 5 percent.
The organization also raised concerns over the growing toll of highly alcoholic beverages locally known as “udusarabwayi“. The organization said at least 55 people have died since January this year as a result of excessive consumption of the drinks, while more than 400 others are reported to be in an alarming state of health.
Ngendakumana did not identify the most commonly used or trafficked drugs but accused some members of the judiciary of protecting drug traffickers after their arrest.
“The government, through the Ministry of Justice, should closely monitor certain magistrates who serve their own interests by shielding these criminals,” he said.
According to the police, most drugs consumed and sold in Burundi are imported, although cannabis is also cultivated locally or smuggled into the country from the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo through Lake Tanganyika and overland routes.
Police have previously identified cocaine and heroin among the drugs circulating in Burundi. Last year, authorities announced the seizure of nearly four kilograms of cocaine that they said was destined for transit to Dubai.
Drug production, trafficking, and consumption are criminal offenses under Burundi’s Penal Code. Article 507 provides penalties ranging from one to five years of imprisonment and fines of between 100,000 and 250,000 Burundian francs for violations involving narcotic substances.
Despite the growing concern over substance abuse, Burundi does not have national specialized rehabilitation centers for people struggling with drug addiction. The government instead supports privately run initiatives that provide rehabilitation and socio-professional reintegration services for former drug users.
