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GENEVA — United Nations experts on Monday commended Burundi for recent efforts to combat discrimination but pressed the government to explain persistent concerns over ethnic quotas, the independence of national institutions and the treatment of Congolese refugees at the country’s borders. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination concluded its review of Burundi’s...

A group of 115 Burundian refugees returned to Burundi this week through the Nemba One-Stop Border Post linking Rwanda and Burundi, Rwanda’s state broadcaster reported. The group included 107 people from Mahama refugee camp in Kirehe District and eight others who had been living in Kigali, according to the broadcaster. Most of the returnees...

GENEVA — The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) has signaled that a long-planned visit to Burundi may be rescheduled for 2026, after the mission was deferred this year because of the United Nations’ liquidity constraints. The SPT said several visits postponed in 2025 including those planned for Burundi, France and Mexico are...

KAMPALA, Uganda — The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) on Monday opened its Kampala sitting with lawmakers set to debate a motion seeking a regional framework to regulate and promote responsible use of social media, a proposal emerging amid rising concerns over misinformation, political tensions and cross-border digital disputes in the East African Community.

East African private sector leaders on Friday urged partner states to demonstrate stronger political will to eliminate non-tariff barriers and accelerate intra-regional trade, as business executives and regional officials convened for the EABC CEOs–EAC Secretary General meeting in Bujumbura. Representatives from Burundi’s private sector including MIRA Steel and Roofings, FOMI, Seed Trade Company and...

A Burundian rights watchdog sounded the alarm Thursday after documenting 281 cases of Burundian children trafficked to Tanzania in 2024, calling the figure a “national emergency” that demands stronger government action. The National Observatory for the Fight Against Transnational Crime (ONLCT “Ou est ton frère?”) released the data as the world marked Universal Children’s...

DR Congo kept their 2026 FIFA World Cup hopes alive on Sunday night after defeating Nigeria 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time in the African play-off final. Frank Onyeka gave the Super Eagles an early breakthrough in the third minute, but Meschack Elia equalized in the 32nd as the Leopards...

President Evariste Ndayishimiye on Friday called for greater transparency and patriotism in Burundi’s mining industry, urging operators to comply fully with national laws as the government seeks to strengthen oversight and scale production of the country’s mineral resources. Speaking at a Nov. 14 press conference, Ndayishimiye presented findings from a 100-day monitoring initiative he...

Human rights organisations are calling on the African Union to take urgent action as Tanzania faces what Amnesty International describes as a “deepening human rights crisis,” marked by violent crackdowns on dissent, internet shutdowns, and the disqualification of opposition candidates ahead of the country’s recent elections. According to Amnesty International, Tanzanian authorities under President...

Trade among members of the East African Community (EAC) jumped by 27 % from USD 14.2 billion to USD 18 billion between June 2024 and June 2025, while total EAC trade with the rest of the world rose 22 % to USD 140.8 billion in the same period, officials told delegates at the 25th EAC Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Trade Fair in Nairobi.