Congolese refugee found hanged near Burundi camp
Cadeau Serugo's body showed signs of torture, including bound hands and a bruised face, with his money and phone missing.
A Congolese refugee, Cadeau Serugo, was found dead, hanged from a tree, on Friday in the Minyare area, near the Kavumu camp in eastern Burundi's Cankuzo province. His body bore marks of violence, and an investigation has been opened into the circumstances of his death. Serugo, originally from South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was registered at the Musasa camp but had been living at Kavumu camp with his family for several months.
Local testimonies indicate Serugo had traveled to Musasa to collect his November food assistance, a process requiring physical presence at his registered camp. On his return journey by motorcycle taxi, he was reportedly ambushed in the isolated Minyare zone. Sources described his hands as tied, his face bruised, and his clothes torn, suggesting torture. His food assistance money and phone were also reported missing.
The body was taken to the Cankuzo morgue for an autopsy, and while an investigation is underway, no arrests had been made by Saturday. Serugo's family is demanding that the circumstances of his death be clarified and that security be improved on the Cankuzo-Minyare-Kavumu route. The incident highlights the difficulties faced by refugees living away from their official registration camps.
Why it mattersThe family of Cadeau Serugo, a Congolese refugee, is demanding justice and increased security on the route to Kavumu camp after his death.