Politics

Burundi’s 2023 Mining Code introduced sweeping reforms to attract investment, improve transparency, and ensure communities benefit from mineral wealth — but gender disparities and weak enforcement continue to shadow the sector, according to a new regional report. The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), through its Committee on Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources (ATNR), noted...

ARUSHA, Tanzania — The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) has sounded alarm over persistent governance failures, mineral smuggling, and inconsistent mining laws that are draining billions in potential revenue from the region’s mineral wealth. In a report adopted Tuesday by EALA’s Committee on Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources (ATNR), lawmakers said the mining sector...

ARUSHA, Tanzania — Burundi’s newly appointed foreign minister, Edouard Bizimana, was sworn in Tuesday as an ex-officio member of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) during a session in Arusha, Tanzania. “Recently, His Excellency Évariste Ndayishimiye appointed Edouard Bizimana as the minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Community Affairs of Burundi. As the...

OSLO, Norway — The Norwegian Nobel Committee on Thursday awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado for her efforts to promote democratic rights and advocate for a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy in her country. Ms. Machado, a leading figure in Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement, has been recognized...

Burundi’s new minister of justice has vowed sweeping reforms to ease the country’s overcrowded prisons, including the closure of some facilities and greater reliance on alternatives to incarceration. Justice Minister Katihabwa Arthemon said the government is committed to strengthening the independence of the judiciary while safeguarding the rights of all Burundians.

BURURI, Burundi— President Évariste Ndayishimiye on Thursday toured an amethyst extraction site on Migera Hill in Bururi Province, praising a youth-led mining venture as a model of how innovation and hard work can power Burundi’s development. The site, operated by about 400 young entrepreneurs with support from the government’s Programme d’Autonomisation Économique et d’Emploi...

Burundi’s Foreign Minister Edouard Bizimana on Tuesday urged the international community to formally recognize the 1972 genocide against Hutu people in his country, saying the acknowledgment is essential for justice and reconciliation. Speaking before the U.N. General Assembly, Bizimana said Burundi has turned a painful chapter in its history and now stands as “a...

A military court in the DRC has sentenced former President Joseph Kabila to death in absentia after convicting him of war crimes, treason and other grave charges, court officials announced Tuesday. The verdict, delivered by a High Military Court in Kinshasa, found Kabila guilty of a range of offenses including treason, insurrection, conspiracy,...

Burundi’s president, who also chairs the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, officially opened the 2025-2026 judicial year on July 26 with a call for judges to strengthen national unity and deliver impartial justice. Speaking at a ceremony held at the Kigobe Congress Palace, the head of state urged magistrates to remember their mission of...

The United Kingdom on Friday urged Burundi to address “serious irregularities” in its June elections and to reopen the UN human rights office, during the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. “We urge the government of Burundi to allow full access and to reopen the OHCHR country office,” the...