Italy Detains Burundian Tied to 2014 Killings of Three Catholic Nuns

By Philippe LeroyBeaulieu

Arrest and Case Background

Feb 26 (Reuters) - Italian police have arrested a 50-year-old Burundian man linked to a top general in connection to the murder of three Italian missionary nuns in Burundi's commercial capital Bujumbura more than 10 years ago, prosecutors in Parma said on Thursday. 

Suspect and Alleged Role

Guillaume Harushimana is suspected of having instigated, co-organized and logistically supported the murders of Olga Rachietti, 83, Lucia Pulici, 75, and Bernadetta Boggian, 79, in two separate attacks on September 7-8, 2014. 

Orders Attributed to Gen. Nshimirimana

The killings were ordered by General Adolphe Nshimirimana, then head of the Burundi secret police, who was assassinated in 2015. They were carried out via Harushimana, who was one of his aides, the prosecutors said in a statement.

Possible Motives Cited by Investigators

According to investigators, the nuns may have been killed for refusing to provide medical aid to Burundian militias deployed in Congo, disputes over the funding of a youth centre in Kamenge, or as part of a sacrificial rite.

Identified Perpetrators and Confessions

Prosecutors said four people were suspected of carrying out the killings: two made radio confessions, one described as the general's bodyguard was questioned in Parma and partially admitted the facts, and a fourth person who has not been identified.

Burundi authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Harushimana could not be reached for comment.

Investigation Reopened in 2024

Italian prosecutors said they reopened investigations into the murders in 2024, thanks to leads from a book by investigative journalist Giusy Baioni, leading them to testimonies from other nuns who had not been heard by Burundian authorities. 

Previous Visa and Presence in Italy (2018)

Harushimana's name had already emerged in connection with the murders, Italian prosecutors said, adding that he had obtained a travel visa to Italy in 2018 to attend a training course in the northern city of Parma. 

Parma Questioning and Denial

They said he was taken in for questioning at the time in Parma, but denied any involvement, claiming he had been outside Burundi at the time of the murders, and providing passport stamps as evidence of his absence from the country.

Reporting and Editing Credits

(Reporting by Philippe Leroy Beaulieu in Gdansk, editing by Alvise Armellini and Sharon Singleton)