Burundi sees mass electricity blackouts for five days

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Much of Burundi has been living without electricity since Monday, with the capital Bujumbura paralysed, as the country also experiences fuel shortages, AFP learned Friday from multiple sources.

The tiny African Great Lakes nation is among the poorest countries in the world, according to the World Bank, with the majority of its citizens living beneath the international poverty line.

The state-owned water and electricity firm, Regideso, said on X that the scheduled power outages since Monday are due to "connection work" and are expected to last until August 14.

Four of Burundi's five provinces are affected, with Bujumbura at a standstill as some neighbourhoods suffer after five days without electricity, water, or internet access, according to a dozen accounts collected by AFP by phone and on social media.

Several banks have announced on social media that they are unable to provide regular services, while the central administration is closed due to lack of power.

Management at the Prince Regent Charles Hospital the capital told families of the deceased to collect their relatives' bodies after the mortuary was put out of service, local media reported.

Compounding the issue, many generators are unusable thanks to a lack of fuel, with three years of shortages worsening in recent months.

A litre of petrol now costs 20,000 Burundian francs ($7) on the black market, one taxi driver told AFP.

President Evariste Ndayishimiye recently accused officials of leading the country "to its death" by failing to denounce people he believes are plundering its resources.

At midday on Friday, thousands of people queued at Bujumbura's central market station, where no buses were running, according to images circulating on social media.

"We have just spent three days without electricity, we had water for an hour late at night," a government official told AFP about conditions in one neighbourhood, asking for anonymity for fear of reprisals.

"Everything is closed, small businesses, hair salons," he said.

"The authorities are saying nothing. We feel like there is no more hope."

An energy ministry official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the work on the grid has meant 80 percent of normal electrical supply has been unavailble.

"Since the grid dates back to the Belgian colonial era and is very outdated, Bujumbura is facing a situation we've never experienced before," he said.

"And it's likely to last for quite some time," he added.