Crisis Chronology

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BURUNDI

01/12/2024

Burundi closes border with Rwanda, accusing the Rwanda government of supporting the Red Tabara militant group against the Burundi government. Red Tabara has been battling Burundi’s government from bases in the eastern DRC since 2015.

11/09/2023

Prosecutors call for life sentence for Bunyoni for a coup plot.

05/09/2023

Bunyoni appears in court, to the surprise of some.

04/24/2023

Former prime minister Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni is arrested. No reason is given by the government or the police. Bunyoni was thought to be the second in power in the government and the leader of the hardline generals of the coup.

11/27/2022

At least 40 Burundian rebels of the National Liberation Front are killed by the DRC and Burundian armies in eastern DRC.

10/22/2022

Burundi declares that all the border with Rwanda is open. Burundi maintains that it wants coup plotters returned.

09/08/2022

Ndayishimiye replaces Prime Minister Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni and his chief of staff, General Gabriel Nizigama. The new prime minister is Security Minister Gervais Ndirakobuca. Ndayishimiye gives no reason for the change, but last week warned of a coup plot against his government. Bunyoni has long been a senior official in the governing party, CNDD-FDD. The new chief of staff (sometimes called the “super prime minister” is Colonel Aloys Sindayihebura, who was in charge of the domestic branch of the National Intelligence Service.

09/20/2021

A series of grenade attacks hit Bujumbura. The most active anti-government group is known as RED-Tabara, which claimed responsibility for an attack at the airport on 9/18.

06/11/2020

Cabinet asks the constitutional court to declare the presidency vacant. An interim president would then be appointed. A shadowy “crisis committee” is reportedly directing these actions and it may be dominated by the generals. There could be a struggle for power that would set aside President-elect Evariste Ndayishimiye’s election.

06/09/2020

Nkurunziza dies of a heart attack. Speaker of Parliament Pascal Nyabenda is likely to become interim president until Ndayishimiye is inaugurated.

05/29/2020

Opposition leader Agathon Rwasa files petition with the Supreme Court challenging the election, saying he has evidence of fraud.

05/25/2020

Ndayishimiye elected president

Election commission announces that Ndayishimiye wins the election with more than 68% of the vote. The opposition says it will contest the results. Rwasa wins 24%.

05/20/2020

General election voting despite COVID-19 pandemic. The main candidates are Nkurunziza’s choice, former general and Secretary of the National Council for the Defense of Democracy–Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) Evariste Ndayishimiye, opposition competitor Agathon Rwasa of the National Liberation Forces who was a Hutu leader during the civil war, and five other candidates. Burundi has 42 cases of COVID-19 and 1 death.

05/13/2020

Government demands that World Health Organization officials leave the country by 5/15/20. They criticized the campaign events of president Nkurunziza for lacking proper measures to avoid the spread of COVID-19.

04/27/2020

Campaign for 5/20 election begins. Most prominent candidate is the ruling CNDD-FDD party’s General Evariste Ndayishimiye. The leading opposition candidate is former Hutu National Liberation Front rebel and candidate of the National Council for Liberty (CNL) party, Agathon Rwasa. Human Rights Watch says it has documented cases against opponents and fears that the Imbonerakure (the CNDD-FDD youth league) will use violence against opposition candidates. There is very little guidance about measures to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Burundi has confirmed 15 cases and one death.

03/31/2020

Burundi confirms first case of COVID-19.

02/25/2020

Police say they killed twenty-two “evildoers” in Bujumbura.

02/21/2020

Leaders of the opposition National Council for Liberty (CNL) are arrested in Bujumbura.

02/17/2020

National Congress for Liberty nominates former rebel Agaton Rwasa as candidate for 5/20 presidential election.

02/17/2020

National Congress for Liberty nominates former rebel Agaton Rwasa as candidate for 5/20 presidential election.

01/26/2020

The ruling CNDD-FDD selects Gen. Evariste Ndayishimiye to run for president in the 5/20 elections. He is a former rebel and an ally of Nkurunziza, though it is hard to predict how he would govern.

11/18/2019

Opposition leader Agathon Rwasa says his National Freedom Council (CNL) will contest elections next year.

09/04/2019

UN report suggests that coming election in Burundi is risky due to intimidation by government’s youth corps, the Imbonerakure, infiltration and repression of the opposition, and stifling of the media. President Nkurunziza is increasingly portrayed as divine and has repeatedly exceeded his authority.

10/30/2018

Government boycotts final meeting in round of peace talks outlined in the Arusha Accords.

10/19/2018

Government accuses opposition MP Pierre-Celestin Ndikumana, of the Amizero y'Abarundi (Burundians' Hope) coalition of plotting the assassination of Nkurunziza. Ndikumana denies the charges.

10/01/2018

Government suspends operations of nearly all NGOs.

06/07/2018

Nkurunziza says he will not run for president in 2020.

05/24/2018

UN Security Council meets to review reports of widespread human rights abuses in Burundi.

05/24/2018

UN Security Council meets to review reports of widespread human rights abuses in Burundi.

05/17/2018

A referendum extending the term of the president to seven years, allowing Nkuruniziza to run again and serve until 2034, passes with 73% approval.

05/13/2018

Military announces that a coup attempt by mutinous soldiers has been foiled. Nkurunziza is out of the country.

11/09/2017

International Criminal Court approve investigation into crimes against humanity in Burundi.

10/27/2017

Burundi formally leaves the International Criminal Court.

08/20/2000

Peace accord signed

Arusha Accords are signed, providing a political framework for ending the civil war, create a power-sharing structure, and integrate former rebels into the military and the political system.