Behind Bars, Families Collapse

Ezeckiel after being released from jail

After 4 years and 8 months, Ezeckiel, a father of seven, walked out of prison thanks to the intervention of Restoration Burundi. His release brought joy, but also unbearable grief. The long absence had torn his family apart.

It all began in 2020. Ezeckiel, then a bus driver, decided to buy an old bus, hoping it would increase his family’s income. The vehicle, however, required costly repairs. With no other source of money, he borrowed from friends: 1,500,000 BIF from one, and 1,050,000 BIF from another with the obligation to repay it with monthly interest. His plan was simple: fix the bus, start driving, and pay back the debts quickly.

But destiny struck cruelly. After making a short trip to Tanzania leaving the bus and its driver, he returned to find the bus stolen. His only source of income was gone. Soon, he was taken to court, sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison, and ordered to repay the debt with an additional 1,000,000 BIF to each creditor as damages.

“When I entered prison, my first thought was my family; my wife and my children,” he recalls. “I was their only support. I asked to be released so I could pay the debt being free, but once the verdict was given, no one cared.”

Ezeckiel should have been freed after serving his 18-month sentence. Instead, he remained behind bars. For more than four years, he languished in prison, almost forgotten.

It was only when lawyers working with Restoration Burundi identified his case that hope returned. They fought for his release and their persistence finally set him free.

Restoration Burundi promotes reconciliation in such cases: bringing creditors and debtors together to agree on slow repayment, rather than leaving prisoners to waste away while debts remain unpaid. It was this approach that opened the way for Ezeckiel’s freedom.

He walked out after 4 years, 8 months, and 1 day, over three times his original sentence.

“I was overwhelmed with joy,” he says. “My family had tried everything, but nothing worked. I had lost all hope. To be free again felt like a miracle.”

The Director of Restoration Burundi advising Ezeckiel to show tolerance to her wife though she cheated on him

But freedom brought another kind of pain.

“When I came out, everything had changed. My family had moved houses several times, imagine six times. I found them in a tiny home. My children had dropped out of school. My eldest daughter had been impregnated, so had been my wife. Both had given birth during my absence. My 18-year-old son had married illegally and was trying to run a household in chaos, all because I was not there. Some of my children have become street kids, spending days and nights away without returning home. I don’t even want to talk about my home, because when I remember the situation of my family today, I feel extremely bad”

At his release, Restoration Burundi’s director urged him to show tolerance toward his wife. She had endured nearly five years of hardship, raising the children alone through street vending.

“I try my best to be tolerant,” he admits. “Otherwise, I could do something that would take me back to prison. It hurts to know she cheated on me while I was suffering. But when I remember that this was never her character before, I try to understand. Life was too heavy for her and gave in to manipulation”

Now, Ezeckiel must rebuild his life from scratch. His driving license has expired. His 12-year-old child dreams of starting the primary school. And he still carries the burden of debt though thanks to Restoration Burundi, a repayment agreement was signed and submitted in the court.

Restoration Burundi, through the lawyers working with the organization, continues to plead for the release of vulnerable prisoners. Concerning prisons for debts, Restobu has adopted a reconciliation approach. Many spend long periods in jail without being able to repay their debts and no one benefits from it. It is in this respect that Restoration engages in reconciliation between parties. When the prisoner is released after the agreement, both benefit.

Actually, Restoration Burundi is considering the accompaniment of ex-prisoners to reintegrate them into communities through economic empowerment and the reinforcement of social cohesion.

Video of Ezeckiel: https://youtu.be/MteNLPjoy9E?si=aXaj_5a7FVitIAz-