Critics warn that Burundi still harshly targets opposition

By ELOGE WILLY KANEZA
Associated Press

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Opposition leaders and human rights groups are warning that Burundi’s government has shown little if any improvement under President Evariste Ndayishimiye, who took office after the death of President Pierre Nkurunziza in 2020 with talk of reforms after years of deadly political crackdowns. The leader of the country’s main opposition party CNL tells The Associated Press that at least 20 opposition members have been seized over the past year. Burundi’s president recently surprised people by acknowledging a high-profile case of torture in detention, but the government has denied that people are being disappeared.