This archive report was first published on 16 June 2020.
On June 8, 2020, Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza died at the age of 55 due to heart failure, according to authorities. His death came just weeks after his wife was hospitalized in Nairobi for treatment.
The sudden death of Nkurunziza has led to a fast-tracked inauguration ceremony for his successor, Evariste Ndayishimiye, who will be sworn in on Thursday. Ndayishimiye, a former army general and Hutu rebel, won the May 20 presidential election with 68.7 percent of the vote.
Normally, following the death of a president, the speaker of Burundi's parliament would step in as head of state. However, the constitutional court ruled that Ndayishimiye should be sworn in immediately, instead of in August as planned.
Nkurunziza's 15-year rule was marked by political and economic turmoil, with protests and a failed coup in 2015 leaving at least 1,200 dead and 400,000 fleeing the country. United Nations human rights investigators have said the period since 2015 has been marked by likely crimes against humanity committed by state forces.
The government has yet to announce a date for Nkurunziza's funeral, with suspicions high that the president had contracted the new coronavirus. Officially, the country has recorded only 104 cases and one death.
