Thousands Attend State Funeral For Late Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza
Thousands of Burundians attended the state funeral of late President Pierre Nkurunziza in the capital, Gitega, on Friday.
President Evariste Ndayishimiye, who was sworn in two months early last week, was among those paying tribute to his predecessor. Nkurunziza died at age 55 earlier this month following a heart attack on June 8, two days after playing a volleyball match, the government said.
He was due to step down in August, after an election last month won by ruling party candidate Evariste Ndayishimiye.
Nkurunziza’s 15-year rule was marked by political violence and upheaval that earned his country international pariah status.
A former rebel commander, Nkurunziza was named president in 2005 as part of a peace process that ended years of civil war and ethnic conflict. His plan to seek a third term in 2015 reignited political unrest as thousands of people protested his bid to stay in office. Scores disappeared under a police crackdown and all independent media outlets were forced to close.
“Many hoped he would lead the country on a path of democratic reforms,” said Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Instead, he leaves behind a legacy of ruthless repression. He ruled through fear to erect a system synonymous with the worst human rights abuses: extrajudicial killings, torture, disappearances, and the systematic crushing of dissent.”
In the aftermath of the 2015 elections, several foreign donors froze funding to the government. Two years later, the country became the first in the world to withdraw from the International Criminal Court. Both the U.S. and the European Union have sanctioned Burundian officials for undermining democracy.
The decision to proceed with elections in May contrasted with those taken by other nations like Ethiopia, which postponed balloting because of the coronavirus pandemic. A week before voting, Burundian authorities expelled four World Health Organization officials after they cautioned against allowing campaign rallies that attracted tens of thousands of people.
Burundi experienced several cycles of violence, including a genocide, since gaining independence from Belgium in 1962. In the recent unrest, dissent was largely crushed and members of the ruling party’s youth league, the Imbonerakure, abused, intimidated and extorted people seen as political opponents, according to Human Rights Watch.
An avid soccer player, Nkurunziza played matches in central Bujumbura, the commercial capital, almost every weekend, but shunned the diplomatic community in the country. The United Nations envoy to Burundi, Michel Kafando, resigned last year, saying Nkurunziza received him only once during the two-and-a-half years he was stationed there.
Nkurunziza was expected to retain considerable influence within the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy, a former rebel group that two years ago declared the president a visionary. A law was approved in January to elevate him to the status of Paramount Leader and Champion of Patriotism.
“He was a despot, he caused the death and untold suffering of many Burundians,” said Allan Ngari, a senior researcher at the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies. “From a political transition point of view, following the elections in May, the president-elect will take over with no need for another election. He had created such a cabal of extremists around him that his legacy will be the continuation of an autocratic regime.”
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