The three Imbonerakure found guilty of the brutal murder of a civilian on Ryamukona Hill have been tried and severely sentenced, bringing—at least from a legal standpoint—closure to a crime that had deeply shocked the local population.
During the hearing held on May 13, 2024, at the conclusion of the criminal session of the High Court of Kayanza Province, with the verdict delivered around 7:00 p.m., the Imbonerakure NIYONKURU Victor, Kinyinyi, and Lazar were found guilty of premeditated murder.
The court sentenced them to:
● Life imprisonment for each of the three defendants;
● Payment of moral damages amounting to five million (5,000,000) Burundian francs per convicted individual;
● A joint payment of fifteen million (15,000,000) Burundian francs to the State Treasury.
🔶 Cautious Relief Among the Population
Residents of Ryamukona Hill received the verdict with relief mixed with deep caution. While they welcome the severity of the sentence, they nevertheless fear that the convicts could once again be arbitrarily released, as has happened in the past.
Indeed, the same Imbonerakure had previously been sentenced to ten years in prison in 2018 and incarcerated at Ngozi Central Prison, before being prematurely released following alleged corrupt practices, reportedly involving their presumed supervisor, NDAGIJIMANA Vincent, accused of bribing certain judicial officials.
🔶 Call for the Dismantling of a Violent Network
The population is also calling for the immediate dismantling of the Imbonerakure group led by NDAGIJIMANA Vincent, whom they accuse of being responsible for numerous abuses in the region. According to multiple testimonies, he is believed to exert undue influence over the local justice system, seriously undermining its proper functioning.
Local sources further state that the May 13, 2024 verdict would not have been issued without the strong mobilization of residents, who had refused to bury the victim until justice was served.
🔶 Reminder of the Facts
On May 10, 2024, the Imbonerakure NIYONKURU Victor, Kinyinyi, and Lazar arrested, tortured, and murdered the young citizen NSABIMANA Philippe on Ryamukona Hill, before throwing his body into the Kanyaru River, which forms the natural border between Burundi and Rwanda.
They were arrested by local residents while attempting to flee.
Until the verdict was handed down, the victim’s body had not been buried and remained at the morgue of the Kayanza Provincial Hospital, as residents had sworn not to allow burial in the absence of justice. (The link here: Kayanza Province: A Young Citizen Brutally Murdered by Imbonerakure in Kabarore – KUF-ASBL).
🔶 Our Position
We welcome the conviction of the perpetrators of this heinous crime, while emphasizing that justice must not stop at the verdict, but must be followed by the effective enforcement of sentences.
We call on judicial and administrative authorities to put an end to all forms of interference, corruption, and impunity, so that such crimes are never repeated.
Justice must not only be delivered—it must endure.