{The government of Rwanda has requested Burundi government to clarify circumstances surrounding the death of former Rwandan minister and ambassador, Jacques Bihozagara who passed away yesterday in Mpiba prison in Burundi where he had been detained since December 9th 2015.}
In a statement released on the website of the Rwandan ministry of foreign affairs, Eugene Ngoga, the Africa Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the deceased died in unclear circumstances and asked Burundi government to disclose Bihozaga’s death circumstances and repatriate his body to Rwanda.
“Jacques Bihozagara is one of many Rwandans in Burundi who have died under violent circumstances or suspiciously in the past several months.The Rwanda Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation wishes to obtain precise information from Burundian authorities on the circumstances of Mr Bihozagara’s death and clarification on the reasons for his detention since last December,” he said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also calls on the Burundian authorities to facilitate efforts by the family of the deceased to repatriate his body to Rwanda.
After the death of Bihozagara yesterday, the Rwandan ambassador to Burundi, Amandin Rugira, has, via twitter account, said that he has been informed of Bihozagara’s death but not the cause.
On the other hand, news circulated on social media indicating that Bihozagara died of poison in Burundi’s Mpimba jail.
Talking to AFP news medium about the death of Bihozagara yesterday, a detainee at Mpimba prison in the capital of Bujumbura reached by telephone and requested anonymity said:”During the day he (Bihozagara) felt ill and was taken to the prison clinic. Then they told us he had died 20 minutes later, shortly after 3pm (1300 GMT).”
Inmates told AFP that Bihozagara had seemed in good health.
Bihozagara had travelled regularly to Burundi since his retirement for business and to visit family.
Burundi government arrested Bihozogara alleging him to be a Rwandan spy. The deceased had retired from active politics many years ago.
Burundi has been in political crisis since April 2015, when Nkurunziza announced a controversial bid for a third term in power.
More than 400 people have been killed in clashes since then and almost a quarter of a million people have fled the country, with the government blaming the killings on opposition forces.
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