Former Burundian prime minister Alain‑Guillaume Bunyoni has been provisionally released from detention on medical grounds, judicial sources and relatives said Wednesday, after the once-powerful general’s health deteriorated while serving a life sentence.
Bunyoni, who served as prime minister from June 2020 to September 2022 under President Évariste Ndayishimiye, had been imprisoned after being convicted of charges including attempting to overthrow the government and destabilizing the economy. Burundi’s Supreme Court confirmed his life sentence in 2024.
According to a judicial sources, the former security chief was granted “provisional release for medical reasons” and taken to his home in the commercial capital, Bujumbura.
Family members said his health had significantly worsened during detention. Rights groups and relatives have previously reported that Bunyoni suffers from diabetes and had experienced serious complications while in custody.
Bunyoni, a former police general and interior security minister, was once among the most influential figures in Burundi’s ruling establishment. He was dismissed as prime minister in September 2022 after President Ndayishimiye warned of a possible coup plot against his government.
Authorities arrested him in April 2023 as part of a broader political purge targeting senior officials suspected of undermining the government. His trial later resulted in the life sentence upheld by the country’s highest court.
Bunyoni had long been considered a key member of a group of powerful military figures often referred to as “the generals,” who wielded significant influence in Burundi’s politics during and after the rule of former president Pierre Nkurunziza.
Burundian authorities have not announced whether his provisional medical release will lead to any changes in his conviction or sentence.
