Politics

BUJUMBURA, Burundi — Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin began a five-day visit to Burundi on Tuesday, August 12, where he was received by Vice President Prosper Bazombanza. Speaking to reporters at the airport, Parolin said he brought a message similar to that of Pope John Paul II during his visit to the...

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday announced sanctions on an armed group and several companies accused of fueling violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo through the illicit trade of critical minerals. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said the measures target the Coalition des Patriotes Résistants Congolais–Force de Frappe...

BUJUMBURA, Burundi — President Évariste Ndayishimiye on Tuesday announced a sweeping cabinet reshuffle, appointing a new prime minister and overhauling several key ministries. Nestor Ntahontuye has been named the new Prime Minister, replacing Gervais Ndirakobuca, who had served in the role since 2022. Ndirakobuca was recently elected senator and has since assumed the position...

WASHINGTON / NAIROBI (Aug. 1, 2025) — Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have taken a critical step toward implementing their June peace agreement, holding the inaugural Joint Oversight Committee meeting in Washington, D.C., on July 31. The United States, along with the African Union and the State of Qatar, observed the session, which...

BUJUMBURA, Burundi — Burundi’s National Assembly on Thursday re-elected Gelase Daniel Ndabirabe as its president for the 2025–2030 legislative term in a plenary session aimed at forming the Bureau of the Assembly. Ndabirabe, the sole candidate, received 109 of 111 votes, or 98.1 percent. One lawmaker abstained and one ballot was declared invalid.

BUJUMBURA, July 27, 2025 — Burundi’s ruling party, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy–Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD‑FDD), has won all contested Senate seats in the official indirect elections held on July 23, 2025, solidifying its political dominance across all five provinces. The results are now pending validation by the Constitutional Court.

BUJUMBURA,(Burundi Times) — Burundian authorities have launched a nationwide crackdown on price speculation and cross-border smuggling, warning of arrests and asset seizures for those who violate trade and market regulations. The directive, issued Thursday by Interior Minister Martin Niteretse during a security meeting in Muyinga, took immediate effect. Officials said the move is aimed...

BUJUMBURA, Burundi (Burundi Times) — A high-level regional aviation workshop opened this week in Bujumbura, focusing on the implementation of the Flexible Use of Airspace (FUA) concept—an initiative aimed at modernizing airspace management, cutting airline operating costs, and unlocking intra-African trade. Organized under the European Union-funded Support to Air Transport Sector Development (SATSD) programme,...

WASHINGTON — Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a U.S.-brokered peace agreement in Washington on June 27, pledging to halt years of cross-border violence and usher in a fragile stability. At a ceremony at the U.S. State Department, the two nations’ foreign ministers made key commitments to withdraw foreign troops, disarm militias...

UNITED NATIONS — Burundi’s ambassador to the United Nations, Zéphyrin Maniratanga, called on the UN General Assembly Wednesday to formally recognize the 1972 genocide against the Hutu population, a campaign of state-sponsored killings that left hundreds of thousands dead. Speaking at the 80th plenary meeting focused on the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), Maniratanga said,...