RTNB serves as Burundi’s state-owned broadcaster, operating both Radio Burundi and Télévision Nationale du Burundi. It is the country’s primary source of official news and information, broadcasting in Kirundi, French, Swahili, and English. RTNB maintains a significant digital presence through its website and Infonet service, which disseminates selected radio and television content online .
Media assets
Television: RTNB
Radio: Chaine 1, Chaine 2
State Media Matrix Typology
Ownership and governance
Established by Decree No. 100 of 1986 as a “public entity of administrative nature,” RTNB is officially under the purview of the Ministry of Communication, Information Technologies, and Media. In practice, it operates under direct government control. The broadcaster is overseen by a board of directors comprising seven members appointed by the President upon the recommendation of the communication minister. The Director General is also a government appointee.
Since 2019, Éric Nshimirimana, former leader of the Imbonerakure—the youth wing of the ruling CNDD-FDD party—has served as Director General. His appointment has been widely criticized by human rights organizations due to the Imbonerakure’s alleged involvement in political violence .
Source of funding and budget
RTNB’s funding model, as outlined in its founding decree, includes state subsidies, advertising revenue, consulting services, event coverage fees, user levies, and donations. In the 2023–2024 fiscal year, RTNB received a state subsidy of BIF 7.15 billion (approximately US$ 2.5 million), marking a significant increase from previous years.
However, Burundi’s broader fiscal challenges have impacted public funding. The 2024–2025 budget faced a deficit due to unforeseen expenditures and revenue shortfalls, leading to a revised finance bill adopted in December 2024. The 2025–2026 budget anticipates an 18% increase in government spending, with a projected deficit of BIF 436 billion to be financed through domestic and external borrowing.
Editorial independence
RTNB is widely regarded as a government mouthpiece, primarily broadcasting content that favors the ruling party. The broadcaster has been criticized for lacking editorial independence, especially during election periods. Ahead of the 2025 elections, the National Communication Council (CNC) imposed strict media regulations, including prohibitions on reporting provisional election results, further constraining media freedom.
RTNB has a nationwide monopoly on information and has been constantly criticized for its unfair and biased coverage of elections. RTNB has expanded its digital footprint through its Infonet service, which publishes selected radio and television content online. This initiative aims to engage the Burundian diaspora and counteract narratives from exiled media outlets. The broadcaster’s website reportedly attracts over 100,000 visitors, indicating a growing online audience.
The broadcaster has been headed since 2019 by a former leader of Imbonerakure, the ruling party’s youth wing accused of instigating the violence during the elections that brought the government to power. Sometimes, state security agencies directly interfere with the work of RTNB’s journalists.
Sometimes, the media regulator in Burundi, the National Communication Council (CNC), comments critically in its written reports on the RTNB’s activity, but that criticism doesn’t lead to any changes at the RTNB. The Council wrote in 2018 that “the non-respect of the principle of balance and pluralism of information is noticed on the RTNB. Almost all the information disseminated on RTNB is related to the activities of the government and its various departments or territorial entities.”
There is no effective mechanism to enforce editorial independence at RTNB. The Observatoire de la Presse du Burundi (OPB), an NGO, provides general media oversight but lacks the authority to implement changes within RTNB.
June 2025