The High Court of Bujumbura has sentenced ten individuals to life imprisonment for their role in the gruesome mob killing of six residents in Gasarara, a village in Nyabiraba commune, Bujumbura province. The killings, which took place last week, were allegedly sparked by suspicions of witchcraft.
The violence erupted last week after a Catholic church worker and a parishioner in the village fell ill under mysterious circumstances. This fueled local rumors of witchcraft and led to accusations against several villagers. In response, a group of men and youths reportedly stormed several homes, forcibly removing around ten residents. Victims were beaten, stoned, and some were set on fire. Six people — four men, one woman, and a young girl — died on the spot.
Police were deployed to the area and managed to evacuate three survivors, though two of them later succumbed to their injuries. The killings provoked outrage across the country and drew swift condemnation from national authorities and rights groups.
Minister of the Interior and Public Security, Martin Niteretse, and then-Governor of Bujumbura province, Désiré Nsengiyumva, denounced the attacks, labeling them “an unacceptable act of mob justice.”
Sixteen people were arrested following investigations. In a public hearing held on Tuesday, the court handed life sentences to ten men found guilty of organizing and carrying out the killings. Two others received 20-year sentences for complicity in the murders of two sisters. An additional four individuals were sentenced to three years in prison for failing to intervene during the attack. The remaining suspects were acquitted.
The killings have ignited public debate over the handling of witchcraft allegations in Burundi. ALUCHOTO, a local organization advocating against extrajudicial crimes, described the massacre as “a dangerous breakdown of trust in the justice system.”
“In Burundi, no one has the legal right to kill, no matter the accusation,” the organization stated. It has called on the government to establish clear legal procedures for dealing with witchcraft-related accusations to prevent further acts of vigilante violence.
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