At least six people accused of practicing witchcraft were brutally killed by members of a ruling party-aligned youth militia in Burundi earlier this week, according to a local official and multiple eyewitnesses.
The attack, which took place Monday in the Gasarara Hill area—roughly 10 kilometers east of the economic capital Bujumbura—was carried out by young members of the Imbonerakure, the powerful youth wing of the ruling CNDD-FDD party. The group has long been described as a militia by the United Nations and international human rights organizations.
According to the local official, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, the attackers targeted the homes of ten individuals suspected of witchcraft. “Six people were killed,” the official said. “Two of them were burned alive, and the others were stoned or beaten to death with clubs.”
“It was horrific, unspeakable barbarity,” the official added.
Three other victims were rescued with injuries after police intervened. Authorities have arrested twelve suspects in connection with the killings, Bujumbura provincial governor Desire Nsengiyumva announced on Tuesday. He condemned the violence as “unacceptable mob justice” and said the victims were falsely blamed for recent unexplained deaths in the community.
Footage of the incident has circulated widely on social media since Tuesday. While most of the videos remain unverified, AFP confirmed the authenticity of several clips with the help of two eyewitnesses, who also identified the perpetrators as Imbonerakure members.
The Imbonerakure has been widely accused of extrajudicial killings, torture, and intimidation, particularly during the tenure of former President Pierre Nkurunziza, who ruled the country from 2005 until his death in 2020.
Although Burundi is overwhelmingly Christian, traditional beliefs remain deeply rooted. Accusations of witchcraft are not uncommon, particularly in rural areas where mysterious deaths or illnesses are often attributed to supernatural causes.
Last year, the Supreme Court sentenced a former prime minister to life imprisonment on charges that included using witchcraft to threaten the president, destabilize the national economy, and illicitly amass wealth.
The killings have reignited concerns over the power of political militias and the persistence of extrajudicial justice in Burundi, where legal institutions often struggle to protect citizens from vigilante violence.