Journalists in Burundi are still faced with violence meted upon them by the state despite the change of government in 2020. Over the years, freedom of expression and the media has been restricted even to those who ought to practice it for the benefit of the people of Burundi. Burundi has faced a number of political challenges since it attained its independence in 1962.

Detentions and the unrelenting crackdown on press freedom are making Burundi a hostile environment for journalists. Alexandre Niyungeko is one of them. He was the President of the Burundian Union of Journalists before fleeing into exile in May 2015. “The life of everyone who was opposing the late President Pierre Nkurunziza was in danger. Since I was among those who publicly criticised his third electoral term, I had to find a way to protect myself," he says.

Like in many African societies, Burundian women face numerous obstacles to development and active participation in public life.