History of Burundi Timeline

Hutu rebels attempted to kill every Tutsi they could, as well as some Hutu who refused to participate in the rebellion, before retreating to Vyanda, near Bururi, and proclaiming a 'Republic of Martyazo.' Somewhere from 800 to 1200 people were killed.

From late April to September 1972, an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 Hutu were killed in state-sponsored violence following the rebellion.

In 1976, Colonel Jean-Baptiste Bagaza took power in a bloodless coup, replacing Michel Micombero as head of state.

Image source: Jean-Baptiste Bagaza

In 1981, a new constitution was promulgated under Bagaza's government, formalizing single-party rule.

In 1984, Bagaza was elected head of state as the sole candidate.

In 1987, Major Pierre Buyoya overthrew Colonel Bagaza. He dissolved opposition parties, suspended the 1981 constitution, and instituted his ruling Military Committee for National Salvation (CSMN).

Image source: Pierre Buyoya

Buyoya formed a commission to investigate the causes of the 1988 unrest and to develop a charter for democratic reform.

During 1988, increasing tensions between the ruling Tutsis and the majority Hutus resulted in violent confrontations between the army, the Hutu opposition, and Tutsi hardliners.

In 1991, Buyoya approved a constitution that provided for a president, non-ethnic government, and a parliament.

Burundi's first Hutu president, Melchior Ndadaye, of the Hutu-dominated Front for Democracy in Burundi (FRODEBU) Party, was elected in 1993.

Image source: Melchior Ndadaye

Ndadaye was assassinated three months after taking office, in October 1993, by Tutsi army extremists, plunging the country into renewed ethnic violence.

The Rwandan genocide in 1994, sparked by the killing of Ndadaye's successor Cyprien Ntaryamira, further aggravated the conflict in Burundi by sparking additional massacres of Tutsis.

Image source: Rwandan genocide

After the assassination of Ntaryamira, the Hutu presidency and Tutsi military operated under a power-sharing political system until July 1996, when Tutsi Pierre Buyoya seized power in a military coup.

Under international pressure, the warring factions negotiated a peace agreement in Arusha in 2000, which called for ethnically balanced military and government and democratic elections.

The death toll due to the syndrome has been devastating: the UN estimated 12,000 deaths in 2001 and Oxfam estimated 40,000 deaths in 2001.

Finally, the CNDD-FDD agreed to sign a peace deal in November 2003 and joined the transitional government.

Image source: National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy

The last remaining rebel group, the FNL, continued to reject the peace process and committed sporadic acts of violence in 2003 and 2004, finally signing a ceasefire agreement in 2006.

Image source: National Forces of Liberation

In 2005, Burundi began the transition towards peace with its first elections since 1993.

An indirect presidential election took place in August 2005, and the members of the legislature and senate elected Pierre Nkurunziza, a former teacher and CNDD rebel, who had been president of the CNDD-FDD party since August 2000. He became the first post-transitional president.

Image source: Pierre Nkurunziza

Former President Domitien Ndayizeye and his political supporters were arrested in 2006 and accused of plotting a coup, but later he was acquitted by the Supreme Court.

Image source: Domitien Ndayizeye

In December 2006 the International Crisis Group labeled Burundi's human rights status as 'deteriorating'.

Image source: Human rights in Burundi

In February 2007, the United Nations officially shut down its peacekeeping operations in Burundi and turned its attention to rebuilding the nation's economy, which relies heavily on tea and coffee but had suffered severely during 12 years of civil war. The UN had deployed 5,600 peacekeepers since 2004, and several hundred troops remained to work with the African Union in monitoring the ceasefire.

Image source: United Nations Operation in Burundi

Nkurunziza was re-elected in 2010 with more than 91% of the votes amidst an opposition boycott and sworn in for his second term on 26 August 2010.

In April 2015, Nkurunziza announced that he would seek a third term in office, triggering widespread unrest.

Image source: Burundian unrest (2015–2018)

On May 13, 2015, Burundi army General Godefroid Niyombareh, former head of Burundian intelligence, declared a coup via radio while Nkurunziza was abroad attending a summit in Tanzania with other African leaders.

Image source: 2015 Burundian coup attempt

The presidential election results were announced on 24 July 2015.

On 30 September 2016, the United Nations Human Rights Council established the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi through resolution 33/24, mandating it to investigate human rights violations committed in Burundi since April 2015, identify alleged perpetrators, and formulate recommendations.

On 29 September 2017 the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi called on the Burundian government to put an end to serious human rights violations. The government had refused to cooperate despite repeated requests. The Commission interviewed more than 500 Burundian refugees abroad and concluded that serious human rights violations and abuses had been committed in Burundi since April 2015.

In a constitutional referendum in May 2018, Burundians voted by 79.08% to approve an amended constitution that ensured that Nkurunziza could remain in power until 2034.

On 24 December 2018, the government moved Burundi's political capital from Bujumbura back to Gitega, where it had been until 1966.

Image source: Gitega

On 20 May 2020, Évariste Ndayishimiye, a candidate hand-picked as Nkurunziza's successor by the CNDD-FDD, won the election with 71.45% of the vote.

Image source: 2020 Burundian general election

Shortly after the election, on 9 June 2020, Nkurunziza died of a cardiac arrest at the age of 55. As per the constitution, Pascal Nyabenda, the president of the national assembly, led the government until Ndayishimiye's inauguration on 18 June 2020.

In January 2021, President Ndayishimiye closed national borders, having previously stated that anyone bringing Covid into Burundi would be treated as 'people bringing weapons to kill Burundians'.

Image source: COVID-19 pandemic in Burundi

In February 2021, Burundi joined Tanzania in being among the only African nations to reject vaccines from the COVAX scheme. Health minister Thaddee Ndikumana stated that since more than 95% of patients were recovering, vaccines were not yet necessary. As of June 2021, Burundi still had not procured vaccines.

Image source: COVID-19 vaccination in Africa

In June 2025, Burundi urged the United Nations to officially recognize the 1972–1973 massacres of Hutus as genocide.