In a new report requested by the Human Rights Council, the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi said that there had been “little” in the way of “positive changes” since President Evariste Ndayishimiye “assumed office” in June.
Additional findings by the Commission indicated that the country’s human rights situation remains at risk of deteriorating, even after the 2020 elections were held.
This conclusion is supported by numerous recent security incidents and the “continued domination of the public sphere by the Imbonerakure”, the youth wing of the ruling party in Government.
They act as “de facto security agents” in many rural areas, the investigators explained, while also highlighting the “proliferation of hate speech” during the election.
This included using inflammatory rhetoric “with an ethnic dimension”, which remained a tool that could be used by the authorities whenever it was deemed politically expedient, the Commissioners said.
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