Pierre Buyoya

Pierre Buyoya, born in 1949, president of Burundi (1987-1993, 1996-2003), who came to power through military coups. Born in Rutovu, in southern Burundi, Buyoya is a member of Burundi’s dominant Tutsi minority. Sent to Belgium for secondary, university, and military studies, he returned to Burundi in 1975 as a tank commander and was later promoted to chief training officer of the army.

Buyoya was elected to the leadership of Burundi’s sole political party, Unity for National Progress, in 1982 and was close to Colonel Jean-Baptiste Bagaza, who had seized power in 1976. In 1987 Buyoya overthrew Bagaza, whose anti-Catholic policies had caused unrest. Suspending the constitution, freeing political prisoners, lifting religious restrictions, and touring the country in an effort to promote unity, he consolidated his “quiet revolution,” which would lead to democratic, civilian rule. After the Tutsi-led army massacred some 5,000 Hutu in 1988, Buyoya appointed Hutu as prime minister and cabinet members.

In free and fair elections in 1993, Melchior Ndadaye, a Hutu, defeated Buyoya, who then peacefully retired. But army factions loyal to Bagaza assassinated Ndadaye later that year, and instability in neighboring Rwanda spread to Burundi. Claiming that national survival was in jeopardy and repeating his intentions to restore democracy, Buyoya seized power again in July 1996 and suspended the constitution. The assassination of Archbishop Joachim Ruhuna, a Tutsi, by Hutu rebels in September of that year led Buyoya to restore some political party activity and reconvene the legislature. In mid-1998 Buyoya promulgated a transitional constitution and was formally sworn in as president. Under a new transitional constitution adopted in October 2001, Buyoya remained president of a power-sharing government for 18 months before handing over power to a Hutu president in April 2003.