Page 22 - Issue 9

East Africa

Burundi’s Evariste Ndayishimiye

is sworn in as president

ajor General Evariste into refugee camps in neighbouring Burundi’s economy is heavily reliant on
MNdayishimiye on Thursday countries. agriculture and most of the citizens live
was sworn in as the new president of Mr Nkurunziza had earlier expelled in poverty.
Burundi for a seven-year term in office, World Health Organization (WHO) No foreign heads of state were present
renewable once. representatives from the country when he took the oath of office in the
Ndayishimiye was elected in May, in a following his insistence on holding administrative capital, Gitega, where he
vote disputed by the opposition, and was May’s election amidst the outbreak. pledged to defend the nation’s interests
meant to take office in August The president-elect will have to decide and unify its citizens.
But his inauguration was speeded up if the status quo should continue - or Ndayishimiye was born in 1968 in the
after his predecessor Nkurunziza’s chart a new path. He could do this by Giheta district of the Gitega province
sudden death on June 8 due to heart mending fences with the international in central Burundi. He is a father to six
attack. community, including the WHO, to start children.
Nkurunziza, who ruled the east Africa dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, Ndayishimiye joined the University of
nation for 15 often tumultuous years, which the global health body has said is Burundi to study Law, but later dropped
was said by the government to have died accelerating in Africa. out 1995 due to the political-ethnic
of a heart attack Burundi’s government has denied turmoil that in country in early 1993
The 55-year-old then out-going president allegations it targets its people, following the assassination of then-
was taken ill less than two weeks after his calling them malicious propaganda President Melchior Ndadaye, and joined
wife had been flown to a Nairobi hospital by dissidents. Angered by scrutiny, it the CNDD, a Hutu rebel movement that
for treatment for COVID-19, according became the first country to withdraw became CNDD-FDD party.
to local media reports. Speculation is rife from the International Criminal Court. In 2003, Ndayishimiye joined the army
he may have caught the virus. following the government and CNDD-
Ndayishimiye, 52, was the ruling party
Ndayishimiye’s swearing-in ceremony the CNDD-FDD (National Council for FDD had signed a cease-fire agreement
took place at the Ingoma Stadium in the the Defense of Democracy-Forces for and the rebel forced integrated to the
administrative capital Gitega, with the the Defense of Democracy) candidate national army, becoming the deputy
public asked to arrive early to allow time in last month’s election winning with chief of staff of the Burundian army the
for coronavirus measures such as hand- 68.70% of the votes defeating six other same year.
washing and temperature checks. candidates. He was appointed the home affairs and
The swearing in followed ruling of the He was backed by his predecessor public security minister in 2006 and later
same court which upheld Ndayishimiye and was declared the winner of May’s appointed senior advisor in the office
as the winner of the presidential election presidential election, which the of the president in charge of military
held on May 20 and an advisory by the opposition said was rigged. and civil affairs. In 2016, he served as
constitutional court to bring forward the In his victory speech, Ndayishimiye, Secretary General of the ruling CNDD-
ceremony on the death of Nkurunziza. had appealed to Burundian refugees FDD party.
The Court ordered the president-elect to scattered in different countries to return Ndayishimiye, commonly known as
take office immediately. home to build their country. He urged “Neva”, resumed his studies in 2012 and
The new president is taking over a country the Burundian people to safeguard completed his law degree at Wisdom
that is diplomatically isolated and in bad peace and security and to respect each University of Africa in Bujumbura in
terms with donors and a pariah with the other in their diversity. He called on the 2014. He chaired the National Olympic
international community. Thousands of international community to support Committee from 2009 to 2017.
Burundians have fled the country and Burundi. Mr Nkurunziza died aged 55 after 15

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