Speculations abound regarding an alleged coup attempt against President Evaliste Ndayishimiye.
There have been speculations of an attempted coup d’état against President Evaliste Ndayishimiye circulating,while he has left Bujumbura for Cuba to take part in the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the 77 developing countries and China (G77+China), scheduled for 15-16 September 2023.
This is being said in the context of changes at the National Radio, where the guarding soldiers have been replaced, and there is a prevailing negative atmosphere in the country.
This situation is occurring concurrently with allegations that the coup d’état was orchestrated discreetly by individuals associated with Nkurunziza’s previous government and supporters of Alain Guillaume Bunyoni, who were recently dismissed from their positions, arrested, and is presently awaiting trial, as authorities claim an ongoing investigation is in progress.
President Ndayishimiye, who took over power in June 2020, promised to restore the rule of law, accountability and fight against impunity. This has resulted to dozens of high profile government officials relieved from their duties for failure to deliver. This push has seen him regularise ties with the West as financial sanctions imposed by the European Union were lifted in February in 2022
Burundi had gone through turmoil since it gained its Independence in 1962 with the most recent political crisis dating back in 2015 when protests against the former president Pierre Nkurunziza led to deaths of more than 1,000 people. There was a coup attempt to overthrow Nkurunziza’s government as he attended a summit of the East African Community in Dar es Salaam. The culprits are still serving jail terms.
“A coup d’état at this moment is more difficult but what we need to understand is that there is a crack within the system, and who knows what comes tomorrow? The president is facing a big challenge now,” the professor argued.
Burundi has witnessed three coups, two presidential assassinations, in addition to the failed coup in 2015 that plunged the country into deadly unrest.
