Burundi’s government enforcers now killed for their silence
KIGALI, Rwanda — Vanessa Kaneza is on the run, hiding from security agents she believes killed her husband and may want to harm her.
Despite her family’s ties to Burundi’s ruling party, she no longer feels safe in a country where security forces are routinely accused of torturing and killing perceived opponents. Now, as the International Criminal Court begins looking into the alleged crimes, she and others fear the security forces have begun eliminating their own allies, like her husband, to ensure silence.
“I prayed for my husband daily to stop participating in hunting down people, but I didn’t have power over him,” Kaneza told The Associated Press. “I know he is already dead and I blame the president for this.”
Her husband, a retired soldier named Aime Manirakiza, had been a member of the Imbonerakure youth group, which helped break up protests in 2015 over President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid to seek a disputed third term that he ultimately won.