Coup in Burundi 2015

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Attempted coup in Burundi in 2015
date May 13, 2015 to May 15, 2015
place Bujumbura (capital)
output Government troops victory
  • Arrest of generals
consequences Godefroid Niyombare announces his defeat
  • Protests flare up again
  • Closure of independent media houses
Parties to the conflict

BurundiBurundi Burundian government

BurundiBurundi Burundian opposition

Commander

President Pierre Nkurunziza

Coup leader Godefroid Niyombare

losses
more than 10 dead

The coup in Burundi marks a bloody attempted coup in May 2015, which was directed against the incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza . This coup attempt was led by the former secret service commander General Godefroid Niyombare .

prehistory

Pierre Nkurunziza was elected President by the National Assembly in 2005 and was confirmed in office in a general election in 2010 with 91% of the votes cast. The 2010 election was boycotted by the opposition. In April 2015, Nkurunziza announced that he would be available for a third term. Oppositionists pointed out that the Burundian constitution does not allow a president to run for three terms. Third-term supporters emphasized that the first term does not count because he was not elected by the people.

course

In April there were several protests, especially in the capital Bujumbura , against Nkurunziza's party CNDD-FDD , which were generally peaceful. On April 25, 2015, the CNDD-FDD announced that Nkurunziza was its official presidential candidate for the next election. Protests against Nkurunziza broke out on April 26, 2015, during which police intervened violently and six people died. Three radio stations and the press house ( Maison de la Presse ) were closed on the same and the following day. The Burundian armed forces behaved rather cautiously during these protests, in some cases even protective of the protests. However, at the time it was not clear whether this would stay that way, as the armed forces partly consist of integrated rebels who are close to the CNDD-FDD. In response, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon dispatched the Special Envoy Said Djinnit to Burundi and the Burundian Senate called the Constitutional Court to clarify the question of the third term in office. Around 24,000 people fled to neighboring countries.

The protests continued for the following weeks, ending May 13, 2015, with the death toll rising to 20 and the number of refugees to 50,000. Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court favored the position of Nkurunziza, but had not pronounced a verdict because one of its judges had fled abroad because of death threats. In addition, the East African Community prepared a summit meeting of the heads of state and government in Dar es Salaam , Tanzania , which was scheduled for May 13, 2015. In addition to the members, Joseph Kabila , President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cyril Ramaphosa , Vice-President of South Africa, and Linda Thomas-Greenfield , Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs , announced themselves .

On May 13, 2015, Godefroid Niyombare announced on the radio that the government had been deposed and that parliament had been dissolved. The Burundi presidential office denied this report. This resulted in fighting between soldiers loyal to the government and the putschists. Nkurunziza was already in Tanzania during the coup on May 13th to attend the summit. He tried to land in Burundi with his government plane, but had to return to Tanzania because Bujumbura Airport had been closed.

On May 14, 2015, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Burundi, Prime Niyongabo, announced that “all strategic points were under the control of the government troops” and the incumbent President Nkurunziza promptly confirmed that the government would continue to exercise its duties. The renegade General Niyombare, however, announced that much of the country was under his control.

On May 15, 2015, the government announced the first arrests of generals and the coup leader his defeat. Since then, the country has been in a state of emergency, around 100,000 people have fled.

The postponed parliamentary election took place on June 29, 2015. The process was criticized by UN observers. The choice was neither free nor fair. The opposition parties boycotted the election. The ruling party received 77 of the 100 seats, 21 seats went to the opposition alliance Indépendants de l'espoir despite the boycott .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Burundi protest organizers call halt to demonstrations for two days: civil society leader - Reuters.com (English), accessed on May 14, 2015
  2. ↑ Burundi calls opposition protesters 'terrorists' - BBC.com (English), accessed on May 14, 2015
  3. ↑ Nkurunziza's saddle wobbles. Election in Burundi. taz.de, July 1, 2010, accessed on May 15, 2015 .
  4. ↑ Dieudonné Hakizimana: Manifestation contre le 3ème mandate: le center-ville paralysis. In: IWACU-BURUNDI. April 17, 2015, accessed May 14, 2015 (French).
  5. ↑ Burundi: Crackdown on Protesters. Government Lashes Out Amid Rising Protests. April 28, 2015, accessed May 14, 2015 .
  6. ↑ Cara E. Jones, Stephanie Schwartz: What explains Burundi's protests? - The Washington Post. CNDD-FDD. April 28, 2015, accessed May 14, 2015 .
  7. ↑ Burundi anti-President Nkurunziza protests in Bujumbura - BBC News. zero. Retrieved May 14, 2015 .
  8. ↑ Burundi protests rage as regional leaders prepare to meet. Leaders of East African Community to hold emergency summit after more than 20 people killed in two weeks of protests. In: The Guardian. May 12, 2015, accessed May 14, 2015 .
  9. ↑ Njuwa Maina: Crowds cheer as Burundi army officer says he has deposed absent president. In: Reuters. May 13, 2015, accessed May 14, 2015 .
  10. ↑ Burundi coup bid: President Nkurunziza's return 'thwarted' -. air. In: BBC News. May 14, 2015, accessed May 14, 2015 .
  11. ↑ Desire Nimubona: Burundi Ex-Intelligence Chief Announces Coup After Protests. In: Bloomberg Business. May 13, 2015, accessed May 14, 2015 .
  12. ↑ Fighting flares after Burundi army chief says coup attempt failed - Reuters.com (English), accessed on May 14, 2015
  13. ↑ Putsch attempt apparently finally failed - Kurier.at, accessed on May 15, 2015
  14. ↑ The President sends his henchmen. taz.de, accessed on May 18, 2015 .
  15. ↑ UN: UN observers criticize the parliamentary elections in Burundi. ( Memento from January 9, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) zeit.de from July 3, 2015
  16. ↑ Africa: ruling party in Burundi wins controversial parliamentary election. Süddeutsche Zeitung of July 8, 2015, accessed on July 8, 2015