By Our Correspondent
Bujumbura, Burundi, The disappearance of Gretta Harerimana, a local businesswoman from Bujumbura, and her two children, since November 4, 2025, has raised serious concerns among her family members and human rights defenders in Burundi. According to witnesses and family members, the disappearance is linked to a series of threats, extortions, and political pressures that the victim had been facing before her disappearance.
A Context of Threats and Harassment
Gretta Harerimana, a mother of three, and an active entrepreneur engaged in trade between Bujumbura and the Democratic Republic of Congo, had been the target of repeated threats. According to her relatives, these threats primarily came from the Imbonerakure, the youth wing of the ruling CNDD-FDD party. The accusations made against her, such as collaborating with “the enemies of the country,” are considered groundless by her family and friends.
The true cause of these threats, they believe, was her business success, which had brought her into conflict with some elements of the government. Each time Gretta was arrested, it is reported that local authorities and Imbonerakure members would demand bribes for her release— a reflection of the corruption and abuse of power in a highly politically charged environment. These pressures likely contributed to the escalation of her situation, eventually leading to her disappearance.
A Husband in the Opposition: A Double Vulnerability
Gretta Harerimana’s situation appears to have been further complicated by the political situation of her husband, Juma Barahandi, a member of the opposition party UPD Zigamibanga. Barahandi, who has been subjected to political persecution due to his affiliation, was forced into exile to escape mounting pressure from the regime. According to family sources, Gretta and her children had been consistently harassed, in part because of her husband’s political involvement.
This political context placed Gretta and her children in a vulnerable position, caught between the demands of her business, threats from the Imbonerakure, and the repression linked to her husband’s opposition activities. This combination of personal and political factors made the family an easy target for further harassment and violence.
The Disappearance and Fruitless Searches
On November 4, 2025, Gretta Harerimana and her two children were abducted by unidentified individuals. Since then, their family and close friends have launched desperate searches, exploring every possible detention facility in Bujumbura, but without any results. To date, there has been no official information from the authorities regarding their whereabouts, and the police have not shown any clear initiative to find the missing individuals.
The authorities’ silence and lack of action have fueled suspicions that elements connected to the government may be involved in this disappearance, or at the very least, indifferent to it.
Human Rights Defenders’ Call for Action
This situation has prompted a strong reaction from human rights defenders, who are urging Burundian authorities to do everything in their power to locate Gretta and her children and ensure their safety. According to these defenders, this case exemplifies the systematic repression against those perceived as opponents to the regime, particularly individuals engaged in independent economic activities.
Human rights groups emphasize that Gretta Harerimana committed no crime. She was simply a citizen trying to support her family through her business. The repeated arrests, extortions, and her recent kidnapping constitute a severe violation of her basic human rights.
The disappearance of Gretta Harerimana and her children raises profound questions about citizen security and the protection of fundamental rights in Burundi. Calls for justice are multiplying, with the families of the missing individuals, as well as human rights defenders, demanding that the authorities conduct a thorough investigation and ensure the protection of citizens’ rights, regardless of their political affiliation.
The government must act quickly and transparently to ensure that such disappearances do not become a norm. Those responsible for such human rights violations must be held accountable, and justice must prevail to ensure that tragedies like this do not occur again in the future.
