
RDC: Twirwaneho – Communique de Presse No. 2 (21.02.2025)







“Belgium has recently allocated more than 75 million euros in funding for two provinces bordering Rwanda, whose subsoil reportedly contains abundant minerals, according to the public authority. Ligue Iteka recalls that Belgium, like other Western countries including the EU, had suspended its funding due to the scale of human rights violations and crimes against humanity that were regularly reported by different human rights organizations and United Nations institutions since 2015. Ligue Iteka questions why this shift has occurred and why these two provinces were selected during a period when reports from different organizations show that under President Ndayishimiye’s regime, violations have become increasingly alarming and governance has worsened. With different challenges faced to collect information in a tightly controlled environment, and the harassment of human rights actors, Ligue Iteka has documented 2,559 people killed over the past 4 years and 7 months of President Evariste Ndayishimiye’s rule, including 274 women and girls, 202 people abducted, and 595 victims of gender-based violence (GBV), more than 80% of whom are victims of sexual violence (SV). The phenomenon of bodies found has been seen by Ligue Iteka as a strategy by the government to hide its crimes. Out of the 2,559 people killed, 1,421 bodies were found across the country, with 408 (about 28%) discovered in Cibitoke province, selected for Belgium’s program. All of these bodies were buried without any investigation, despite alerts from different organizations, including Ligue Iteka” (Ligue Iteka, 20.02.2025).
The CNDD-FDD and President Evariste Ndayishimiye cannot hide their extra judicial killings, murders and human rights violations are recorded. The non-government organizations and activists are ensuring the truth of the rulers are remembered. As the Bujumbura and Gitega leadership is getting away from its bloodstains.
President Ndayishimiye uses violence, intimidation and force to silence his opposition. The CNDD-FDD has been known for this for years and it has gotten worse under his rule. The government are using the authorities and state affiliated organizations to make people stop. That’s what is going down…
That Ligue Iteka is calling it out is necessary. They are following the reports of SOS Burundi and others who has done the same. There is a need to report this and speak out about it. The CNDD-FDD needs to be held accountable, and these cases needs to be investigated. The lives were taken, and no one has been answered for. These souls and lives deserve justice and that has been forgotten here.
Just imagine the President has been in office for 1708 days today. He has been in office since 18th June 2020. Meanwhile 2559 have been killed during this. That is about 1,5 person per day that has been killed during his reign. Meaning that at least one person has died in the hands of his law enforcement and his agents. Possibly making it a daily part of the operation and normalized murder or extra judicial killing. That should worry anyone, and it says how rampant it is.
The people of Burundi deserves better and should have state that defends them. They should have to be afraid or worried about the acts of state security forces. However, law enforcement and security organizations are endangering the population. This is the gist out of it. Yes, Belgium shouldn’t give aid or support the government, but we know they don’t care about the atrocities. That is obvious to everyone who see.
We just have to shine a light on darkness, which is right in front of eyes. Peace.






“Why would anybody say to be tried in a military court is wrong? So that why Supreme Court said “no”. It can happen. Can be done. But the court itself, the military court should have one, two, three, four, five. To, to have fair constitution. We are very happy with that. This was correct. We didn’t know those gaps. Me I didn’t know. I thought there was no gap. I didn’t even know that somebody had removed the people, had changed the military court from subordinate court to be a parallel court. Apparently, somebody had made amendments saying that they are fine, the decision was not appealable. That’s not correct. Let it be initial centre of handling the matter, of course efficiency and focus, they are focusing on the discipline of the army, but also on the misuse of guns and weapons normally belonging to the army. So they are a bit focused. Why don’t you allow them to focus? Then you can, if somebody not satisfied, they can appeal to the superior courts. For us we don’t see anything” – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (19.01.2025).
Surprise. Surprise.
The General, the liberator and freedom fighter wants to try civilians in his military courts. His Excellency, the Fountain of Honour, the grandeur and the statesman himself wants civilians and citizens being tried in a General Court Martial. That’s the message his spreading.
President Museveni is now following the ideals of Idi Amin who made an decree about Military Tribunals in January 24th 1973 which empowered the tribunal to try any person, whether civilian or soldier, for a capital offense and provided that the Defence Council to prescribe the method by which the sentences should be carried out, and if stated the person might petition the President for mercy.
It is a friendly reminder of the liberator who has made Amin and Obote the villain. His using the same metrics and methods for his own reign. That’s who Museveni is and his using the Military Tribunals or General Court Martials (GCM) as a mean of controlling the proceedings and keeping dissidents behind bars. This is why Museveni wants this, as he can control and order the acts of the courts, and they won’t act in defiance of him.
We are hearing that the gun and weapons cases are now supposed to be only tried in the GCM. That is just like the Amin decree, which was made for capital offenses. This is to deliberately decide the fate and keep people under the wings of the army. Because the President only trusts the army and not the other institutions of the government. That’s why he aims for trying civilians in the GCM and not elsewhere.
This is why he will amend the UPDF Act and other legislation to ensure he has the rights to continue the practice of Amin. The man who fought for the liberation of the nation and supposed to liberate or give people freedom. Instead, his using the same means and instruments of the state to take away the liberty and freedom of the people. That’s just interesting. Whoever who fought with him in the 1980s should feel dismayed and feel betrayed by the President.
This isn’t what he promised, but it shows what he become because of the hubris of power. The President didn’t learn from history but instead repeats the past. Just like Amin had illiterate or people not well versed in law in-charge of the Tribunals. The ones Museveni has there is to convene and adhere to his orders. Therefore, the civilians tried in the GCM are under mercy of the President and his will. So, that’s why the President wants to use the GCM…. Peace.



