Exclusive: Burundi: How Generals Ndayishimiye, Adolf Countered Coup Plot Against Nkurunziza

After enduring decades of murderous military dictatorships, Burundi held what was considered “free and fair” Parliamentary and Presidential elections in June and July 1993.

FRODEBU leader Melchior Ndadaye became Burundi’s first democratically elected Hutu president, defeating UPRONA, the party of Tutsi officer, Pierre Buyoya.

Ndadaye’s government struggled to unite the country whose population was sharply divided along ethnic lines.

An insurgency led by Kabora Kossan, a Hutu, raged on, leaving hundreds of Tutsis dead.

Yet, Ndadaye’s government was more threatened by Tutsi extremists than by radical Hutu groups since majority of the top military brass was Tutsi.

Ndadaye’s election had calmed hearts and given hope to Hutu who had suffered at the hands of Tutsi leaders.

The worst occurred on October 21, 1993 when Tutsi officers launched a coup and murdered Ndadaye alongside other leading FRODEBU members before declaring a new regime.

The murders sparked off a wave of violence all over Burundi as Hutu retaliated by killing many UPRONA supporters, most of them Tutsi but also some Hutu.

On the other hand, the putschists and allied Tutsi groups attacked Hutu and FRODEBU sympathizers.

Later in 1995, in the night of 11 to 12 June 1995, a gang of Tutsi students backed by the infamous militia known as “Sans Echec” killed fellow Hutu students in shocking raids at the University of Burundi.

Pierre Nkurunziza, who was teaching sports at the university, fled the campus to join CNDD-FDD, a rebel movement.

Ndayishimiye flees

He was followed by Evariste Ndayishimiye, who was recently endorsed by Burundi’s ruling political party as its flag-bearer in the 2020 presidential elections.

Current Foreign Affairs minister Ambassador Alain Aime Nyamitwe was among the survivors of the campus attack.

Ndayishimiye (R) fought in the Burundi civil war

In the civil war, Ndayishimiye enlisted in CNDD-FDD as a combatant.

He would later get close to Nkurunziza who rose through the ranks to lead Burundi.

A smooth operator, Ndayishimiye preferred to work from behind the scenes.

Officials say he was part of the inner circle of the CNDD-FDD movement.

He led CNDD FDD delegation that held talks with the international community, leading to the ceasefire agreement.

He was most of the time the special envoy of President Nkurunziza to other countries including Uganda and Tanzania.

Ndayishimiye grew closer to Nkurunziza in what many say was part of the grooming of a potential successor.

A journalist who preferred anonymity to speak freely, said Ndayishimiye “is very humble to the point that we have shared a glass of drink several times. He is a man of the people. He has no airs at all.”

Asked about what makes Ndayishimiye a great presidential candidate, the journalist who has covered the Greatlakes region for the last 29 years, responded: “He seeks the development of Burundi through an agricultural revolution. He is passionate about agriculture and farmers.”

Coup attempt

Observers say Nkurunziza quietly backed Ndayishimiye due to his loyalty and saving his government during the failed 2015 coup.

The coup attempt occurred at a time Nkurunziza was attending a meeting of regional leaders in Tanzania.

The meeting was called by then president Jakaya Kikwete to resolve the tensions in Burundi sparked by Nkurunziza’s decision to seek a third term in office.

While several army officers led by former army Chief Godefroid Niyombare, moved to carry out a coup, Nkurunziza’s loyalists including Ndayishimiye and then Intelligence Chief Adolphe Nshimirimana, fought back.

Evariste Ndayishimiye

It will be recalled that Niyombare, a once close associate of Nkurunziza, had just been fired as intelligence chief.

Officials say Ndayishimiye and Nshimirimana worked day a night, mobilizing forces to counter Niyombare’s forces.

“We were in total darkness,” recalls a pro-Nkurunziza officer who talked to ChimpReports for this story on condition of anonymity.

“Niyombare and several other top army officers had betrayed Nkurunziza. All Nkurunziza could rely on to restore stability and prevent the country from slipping into another civil war were Nshimirimana and Ndayishimiye. They worked as a team and defeated the putschists.”

The source further said when Niyombare on 13 May 2015 announced at a private radio station that he had taken power and accused Nkurunziza of greed and seeking to hold onto power, Nshimirimana and Ndayishimiye mobilised a counter force which was deployed at the public broadcaster.

Ndayishimiye’s group ensured Niyombare did not access the public radio and television to announce the coup.

This group mobilised Special Forces and war veterans not only to secure the public radio but also kick out Niyombare’s forces from Bujumbura airport.

The source said Ndayishimiye’s team maintained contact with President Nkurunziza in Tanzania, assuring him that putschists would be defeated.

Uganda and Tanzania had categorically said they would not allow a military takeover in Burundi.

Fearing possible joint military action, the coup plotters fled to Rwanda.

By May 15, a semblance of peace had returned to Bujumbura, paving the way for the return of Nkurunziza to Burundi. Shopkeepers started reopening their shops.

Many in Burundi’s ruling party see Ndayishimiye, who previously served as Interior Security Minister and head of military affairs in Nkurunziza’s cabinet, as the guardian of Burundi’s stability.

It was no surprise therefore that Ndayishimiye was seconded to succeed Nkurunziza.

Challenges

But critics say Ndayishimiye has a lot on his plate.

He will need to do more to secure the return of millions of Burundian refugees who fled their country in the 2015 chaos.

The United Nations says the refugee population from Burundi is 333,546.

This figure includes Burundian refugees who fled since April 2015, as well as some 37,000 Burundian refugees who sought asylum in the region prior to April 2015.

In addition to the population above, there are some 13,800 Burundian refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya, 7,800 in Mozambique, 8,300 in Malawi, 9,200 in South Africa and 6,000 in Zambia who are assisted within the respective country-level programmes.

A further 42,200 Burundian refugees, who have lived for decades in Tanzania, no longer receive assistance and are not included in these figures.

While real GDP growth improved to an estimated 1.4% in 2018, following a 0.2% contraction in 2017, the Africa Development Bank has since warned that these economic prospects are filled with uncertainty.

Agricultural production remains vulnerable to climate shocks, as happened in 2015 when flooding caused by El Niño was followed by drought. Burundi is also subject to international sanctions that reduce foreign aid that could finance development.

“The country will have to find new sources of finance if the situation does not change,” a report by AfDB reads in art.

“The economic prospects also face political and economic uncertainty, especially as the 2020 elections approach. Fragility persists in weak capacity, widespread poverty and youth unemployment, and low capacity to generate or use fiscal space.”

Legacy

Nevertheless, Ndayishimiye’s nomination as a flag-bearer in the upcoming polls has been received with optimism in the country.

Late last week, thousands of supporters poured on the streets in Bujumbura to welcome Ndayishimiye from Gitega where the ruling party was holding a conference.

Asked about the legacy left behind by Nkurunziza, Burundi’s ambassador to Kenya, Amb Jean Bosco Barege told ChimpReports: “Nkurunziza has the right to stand again, according to Burundi Constitution. However, because of his passion for democracy, he chose to step down.”

Amb Barege, who was until last year deployed as Burundi’s top diplomat to Uganda, was at the centre of diplomatic efforts to counter the 2015 coup by mobilizing regional and foreign powers.

Barege described Nkurunziza as “a man of his word,” adding, “All Burundians applaud him and the whole International Community should applaud his decision to leave the stage.”

He said “all political parties in Burundi were invited to the ruling party’s conference. They even sent congratulatory messages to the flag-bearer.”