Burundi tightens checks on workers leaving for the Gulf
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Iwacu
The Burundian government has provisionally suspended 65 recruitment agencies and requires employers, salaries, accommodation and avenues for complaints to be checked before workers depart. More than 21,000 Burundians have taken jobs in the Gulf, including more than 21,200 in Saudi Arabia, according to figures announced in March 2026, Iwacu reports.
Burundi’s foreign minister is demanding that employment conditions be checked before workers leave for Gulf countries, following the provisional suspension of 65 recruitment agencies over irregularities, Iwacu reports.
In March 2026, the government announced that 21,642 Burundians had benefited from the labour migration programme, including more than 21,200 in Saudi Arabia. The minister warned against “speculative or mass” placements and called for checks on the employer, job, salary, workplace, accommodation and avenues for complaints.
The ministry also denounced networks that could expose candidates to exploitation, fraud or recruitment into armed conflicts. Iwacu notes that departures sometimes reflect plans to save money and return, but also a lack of prospects in Burundi.
The suspension of the agencies follows the accreditations suspended in October. Recruitment oversight also comes amid reports of twelve Burundian women who died while working in Arab countries, reported on 13 October.
