The body of Burundi’s former president, Pierre Buyoya, has finally returned to his homeland, marking the end of a contentious chapter that spanned over three years and two countries. Buyoya, a significant figure in Burundi’s tumultuous political history, passed away in Paris in December 2020 due to complications from Covid-19. He was 71 years old at the time of his death.
After his passing, Buyoya was laid to rest in Bamako, Mali, where he had served as the African Union’s special envoy to Mali and the Sahel for eight years. Despite calls for his burial in Burundi, his homeland, a senior government official had previously stated that Buyoya would not receive the honors accorded to a former head of state, citing legal implications surrounding his involvement in his successor’s assassination.
However, on Tuesday, the plane carrying Buyoya’s remains touched down at Bujumbura International Airport, fulfilling his family’s wishes for repatriation. “In order to respect the last wishes of the deceased, the family has requested and obtained from the Burundian authorities permission to repatriate and rebury his remains in his native country,” a statement from Buyoya’s family explained, confirming the reburial would take place on Wednesday at the family property in Rutovo, a southern town in Burundi.
Buyoya’s legacy in Burundi is complex and polarizing. An ethnic Tutsi army officer, he first assumed power in a coup in 1987, later stepping down after Burundi’s first democratic elections in 1993. He reclaimed the presidency in another coup in 1996 and played a pivotal role in negotiating the Arusha Accords in 2000, aimed at ending the country’s brutal civil war. Under the terms of the agreement, he resigned from office in 2003.
However, Buyoya’s tenure was marred by controversy. In October 2020, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia, along with 18 other defendants, for his alleged role in the assassination of Melchior Ndadaye, Burundi’s first democratically elected Hutu president. The assassination sparked a decade-long conflict between Hutus and Tutsis, resulting in widespread violence and loss of life.
Buyoya consistently denied the charges, dismissing the trial as a “sham” but ultimately resigning from his AU position to focus on clearing his name. His return to Burundi for burial comes during a period of continued political tension in the country, which has been under the rule of the CNDD-FDD party since 2005. The party’s reign has been marked by political upheaval, including protests and violence following former President Pierre Nkurunziza’s controversial bid for a third term in 2015, which exacerbated ethnic divisions and led to widespread unrest.
Nkurunziza’s unexpected death in June 2020 thrust Evariste Ndayishimiye into power, a hardliner who has maintained political dominance since his election. As Buyoya is laid to rest, his legacy and the complexities of Burundi’s political landscape continue to shape the nation’s future, reflecting both the enduring challenges and hopes for stability and reconciliation in the region.
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