NGOZI, Jan 7 (ABP) – Following the increase in cases of children intercepted by the police while traveling alone aboard public transport vehicles toward Bujumbura in search of work, transport agencies operating in Butanyerera have now been warned. Any agency that is henceforth caught transporting unaccompanied children will be considered as being involved in human trafficking.
This was stated on Monday, January 5, 2026, by the governor of Butanyerera province, Mr. Victor Segasago, during a security meeting held for heads of provincial services and communal administrators.
By way of illustration, it was reported that a group of 19 children was recently intercepted by law enforcement officers aboard public transport vehicles and is currently being taken care of by the police in Ngozi.
For his part, the administrator of Tangara commune, Mr. Jean Pierre Ndikuryayo, indicated that several other children under the age of 15 have been found lost in recent days in his commune. The majority of these children are said to originate, among other places, from the localities of Gashoho, Vumbi, Kirundo, and Buhumuza.
He also reported recent cases of children attempting to migrate to Tanzania after having been deceived by ill-intentioned individuals who promised them employment. This situation raises serious concerns about the existence of a human trafficking network targeting minors.
Faced with this situation, the governor of Butanyerera instructed communal administrators to organize meetings to raise awareness among the heads of transport agencies operating in the province, in order to remind them of their responsibility. According to him, no child should be transported without being accompanied by a parent or a legally identified guardian.
Any agency in violation will henceforth be considered complicit in child trafficking and prosecuted in accordance with the law, Mr. Segasago emphasized. The governor also called on the entire population to actively engage in the fight against human trafficking by reporting any suspicious movement or any attempt at manipulation involving minors.
During the same meeting, the issue of non-payment of certain coffee growers and maize producers was also addressed. On this matter, the provincial governor asked the concerned communal authorities to establish comprehensive lists of all producers who have not yet received their remuneration for coffee and maize harvests already delivered, so that these lists can be forwarded to the competent bodies in order to regularize the situation.
Furthermore, during this security meeting, the administrators of all the communes of Butanyerera province indicated that the security situation remained generally calm during the end-of-year holiday period, notably marked by the absence of cases of household theft or organized crime, compared to previous years. Finally, the provincial governor urged administrative officials to increase awareness-raising meetings with the population, calling on them to change their behavior, particularly by refraining from excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages and narcotics.
He encouraged them to direct their efforts toward productive activities contributing to the development of households and communities, in support of the vision of an emerging and developed Burundi by the 2040-2060 horizon.