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Fund warns of macroeconomic instability, calls for unified exchange rate and tighter monetary policy BUJUMBURA, Burundi The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has called on Burundi to urgently implement fiscal, monetary, and structural reforms to contain surging inflation and stabilise its fragile economy. In a statement released after a March 17–28 visit...

A document circulating on social media has stirred controversy in Rwanda, as it appears to require couples organizing weddings to submit tax information for all vendors involved in their ceremonies. The form, titled “Amakuru agendanye n’ ahabera ubukwe” (“Information related to the wedding venue”), lists sections for decorators, sound system operators, food and drink...

GENEVA — Children make up nearly half of the estimated 10,000 victims of rape and sexual violence recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in January and February, according to UNICEF. The figures coincide with a renewed offensive by M23 rebels, reportedly supported by Rwanda, against the Kinshasa government in the eastern...

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The East African Civil Society Organisations’ Forum (EACSOF) on Friday expressed deep concern over recent developments in South Sudan, including the reported house arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar and renewed violence in the Upper Nile region. In a statement, EACSOF warned that the unfolding tensions threaten to reverse...

GITEGA, Burundi (AP) — DHL Global Forwarding has delivered a mobile heart clinic to Burundi as part of a logistics collaboration with the German nonprofit organization kinderherzen. The clinic is intended to provide pediatric cardiac care for children with congenital heart disease (CHD), a condition that affects many in the region with limited access to treatment.

KAMPALA, Uganda — East African countries are looking to unlock the region’s underutilized leather industry potential, as stakeholders met in Kampala earlier this month to chart a path forward for the sector. The three-day EAC Regional Leather Platform Meeting, held April 3–5, brought together government officials, private sector players, and development partners to identify...

BUJUMBURA, Burundi (Burundi Times) — Burundi’s official 2024 census recorded a total population of 12,332,788, according to newly released government data—figures that differ from World Bank estimates, which projected nearly 13 million in 2023. The latest count marks Burundi’s fourth official census, following previous ones in 1979, 1990, and 2008. The census also revealed...

Burundi has announced that it will reopen its border with Rwanda only after the extradition of members of the RED TABARA rebel group, currently sheltered in Rwanda, according to Rosine Guillene Gatoni, spokesperson of the Burundi president During a live public program in Rumonge last Friday, Gatoni addressed journalists, emphasizing that the ongoing border...

On March 24, 2025, the Muslim community in Rulindo District, Northern Rwanda, sent a formal request to the district mayor, seeking permission to hold Eid al-Fitr prayers at open-air venues after Ramadan. The community proposed five locations—Mahaza, Bugaragara, Rutonde, Mugambazi, and Gasiza—for the prayers, which they stated would not take long. "We request permission...

The National Communication Council (CNC) has temporarily suspended the activities of "Yaga Burundi," a blogging collective that has operated for almost a decade in Burundi. The decision, announced Thursday by CNC President Espérance Ndayizeye, follows the group’s failure to meet legal registration requirements. Despite submitting an application to register as a newspaper in 2022, "Yaga Burundi" did...