This archive report was first published on 18 June 2020.
June 18, 2020
Burundi's newly elected president Evariste Ndayishimiye was sworn in on Thursday, following the sudden death of his predecessor Pierre Nkurunziza, who ruled the east African nation for 15 often tumultuous years.
Ndayishimiye, 52, a former army general and Hutu rebel, was elected in May in a vote disputed by the opposition. He won the vote with 68.7 percent, and an opposition bid to have the results overturned due to alleged fraud was overturned just days before Nkurunziza's death.
The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Ingoma stadium in the administrative capital Gitega. Ndayishimiye vowed to 'continue his high-quality work that he has done for our country.'
Nkurunziza, a devout evangelical who believed he was chosen by God to lead Burundi, leaves a 'dark and sad legacy,' according to Carina Tertsakian of the Burundi Human Rights Initiative.
His 2015 run for a third term in office sparked protests and a failed coup, with violence leaving at least 1,200 dead while some 400,000 fled 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 change in president also opens up the possibility of warmer ties with foreign donors, who cut Burundi off after the 2015 crisis. A source in the French presidency said the country would work with its European partners and 'extend a hand to the new Burundian president.'
