Burundi security officials on Friday confirmed the arrest of Major General Bertin Gahungu, a senior military figure long accused by civil society groups of playing a central role in the killings and torture of government opponents during the country’s 2015 political crisis.
According to a senior security source who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, Gahungu was detained at his office in Bujumbura on allegations of “undermining internal security” and “insulting President Evariste Ndayishimiye.” The arrest, however, was not linked to the human rights abuses he is accused of by rights groups.
Gahungu, a prominent member of the ruling CNDD-FDD party, previously headed the intelligence services during the unrest that followed former president Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a controversial third term. The crackdown left at least 1,200 people dead and forced more than 400,000 into exile between 2015 and 2017. Rights groups documented widespread abuses including summary executions, enforced disappearances, torture, and sexual violence.
“His name has consistently been cited among the masterminds of the terror,” said Armel Niyongere, president of the ACAT-Burundi rights group, adding that Gahungu has been accused of torture and responsibility for extrajudicial killings.
Pacifique Nininahazwe, a leading exiled activist, noted on X that Gahungu was now being held at the same security headquarters where “he mowed down so many of our people” and tortured journalist Esdras Ndikumana, then reporting for AFP and RFI.
The security source said Gahungu’s arrest stemmed from repeated criticism of President Ndayishimiye, who took office in 2020 following Nkurunziza’s death.
Under Ndayishimiye, Burundi has oscillated between signals of reform and increased authoritarian control, with human rights groups and UN experts warning of ongoing repression and attacks on civic freedoms.
