Burundi’s former Prime Minister General Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni, serving a life sentence for conspiracy against the head of state, was provisionally released on Wednesday due to deteriorating health, judicial sources and family members confirmed.
Bunyoni, hospitalized since October 2025 at Gitega Regional Hospital, was transported by ambulance to his home in Bujumbura around midday. “His condition is more than worrying,” a relative told AFP, noting that the diabetic general had suffered significant loss of motor skills and speech while in prison, where he was reportedly deprived of adequate medical care, according to prison sources and human rights groups.
Bunyoni, once regarded as the regime’s de facto number two and a hardline figure under former President Pierre Nkurunziza, was appointed prime minister in June 2020 by President Evariste Ndayishimiye. He was dismissed in September 2022 following the president’s denunciation of an alleged coup plot.
In December 2023, Bunyoni was convicted of attempting to overthrow the government, threatening the president’s life, illegal enrichment, and economic destabilization a charge he has consistently denied.
According to an anonymous source, the ruling party’s military generals had lobbied for his release, and President Ndayishimiye “resolved to free him to reunite his camp,” highlighting the political dynamics surrounding the former prime minister.
Bunyoni’s provisional release underscores ongoing tensions within Burundi’s political elite and the delicate balance between security concerns and humanitarian considerations.
