Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni, Burundi’s former prime minister who is serving a life sentence for conspiracy against the head of state, has been granted provisional release on medical grounds, according to judicial sources and relatives. The former army general, who had been hospitalized since October 2025 at a regional hospital in Gitega, was transferred by ambulance to his residence in Bujumbura on Wednesday. Family members said his health condition had significantly deteriorated. Sources say Bunyoni, who suffers from diabetes, experienced serious complications in detention, including the loss of motor skills and speech. Prison officials and human rights groups have previously raised concerns about his access to adequate medical care.
Bunyoni was once considered one of the most powerful figures in Burundi. A key ally of former president Pierre Nkurunziza, he served as a senior security chief before being appointed prime minister in June 2020 by President Evariste Ndayishimiye. However, his political fortunes declined rapidly after he was dismissed from office in September 2022, shortly after President Ndayishimiye publicly warned of an alleged coup plot within the government. In December 2023, a court sentenced Bunyoni to life imprisonment after convicting him of attempting to overthrow the government, threatening the president’s life, illegal enrichment, and economic destabilization. Bunyoni denied all the charges during the trial. The decision to grant provisional freedom comes amid reported pressure from senior figures within the ruling party who had called for his release. Some political observers believe the move could help ease tensions among factions within the governing elite.
