Évariste Ndayishimiye facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Évariste Ndayishimiye
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Ndayishimiye in 2022
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| 10th President of Burundi | |
| Assumed office 18 June 2020 |
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| Prime Minister | Gervais Ndirakobuca |
| Vice President | Prosper Bazombanza |
| Preceded by | Pierre Nkurunziza |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1968 (age 56–57) Giheta, Gitega Province, Burundi |
| Political party | CNDD–FDD |
| Spouse | Ndayubaha Angeline Ndayishimiye |
| Children | 6 |
Évariste Ndayishimiye was born in 1968. He is a Burundian politician. Since June 18, 2020, he has been the tenth President of Burundi.
He joined a rebel group called the National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD–FDD) during the Burundian Civil War. He became a leader in this group. After the war, he joined the Burundian Army. He also held several political jobs under President Pierre Nkurunziza.
Before the 2020 elections, Nkurunziza chose Ndayishimiye to be his successor. Ndayishimiye won the election with many votes.
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Biography of Évariste Ndayishimiye
Évariste Ndayishimiye was born in 1968. His birthplace was Musama, in the Giheta area of Gitega Province in Burundi. He is known to be a strong Catholic.
He started studying law at the University of Burundi. In 1995, while he was still a student, a lot of violence happened. This was part of the Burundian Civil War (1993–2005). Many students were killed. Ndayishimiye had to leave the university.
He then joined the CNDD–FDD. This was a rebel group mostly made up of people from the Hutu ethnic group. He became a leader in the group's military activities during the civil war. People sometimes called him "Neva."
From Rebel to Politician
In 2003, agreements were made to end the civil war. The CNDD–FDD became a political party. Ndayishimiye became a top officer in the Burundian Army.
In 2005, the CNDD–FDD party came to power. Pierre Nkurunziza became president. Nkurunziza had a similar background to Ndayishimiye. Ndayishimiye served as Minister of the Interior and Public Security from 2006 to 2007. After that, he became Nkurunziza's personal military assistant until 2014.
During this time, he also studied at Wisdom University of Africa. He earned a degree in 2014. He was also in charge of the Burundi National Olympic Committee for many years.
Becoming President
In 2018, President Nkurunziza said he would not run for a fourth term. He chose Ndayishimiye as the CNDD–FDD candidate for the 2020 election. Ndayishimiye was seen as a close friend and ally of Nkurunziza.
Some people thought Nkurunziza wanted to still control the country from behind the scenes. But others believed Ndayishimiye was chosen as a good choice among the party's leaders. He was also seen as more "open" and "honest" than some other candidates.
Ndayishimiye won the elections in May 2020. He received 68 percent of the votes. However, some people questioned if the election was fair. It also happened during the COVID-19 pandemic in Burundi.
President Nkurunziza sadly died suddenly on June 8, 2020. Since Ndayishimiye had already won the election, the Constitutional Court decided he should become president sooner. He was sworn in at a ceremony in Gitega on June 18, 2020. This was two months earlier than planned.
Presidency of Évariste Ndayishimiye
President Ndayishimiye began his seven-year term on June 18, 2020. He announced his first group of government ministers on June 28, 2020. He made the government smaller, from 21 ministers to 15.
His time as president has been less isolated than his predecessor's. Ndayishimiye has traveled to other countries. He has also welcomed leaders from other nations to Burundi.
COVID-19 Response
At first, Ndayishimiye was more active in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic than the previous president. He called the virus the nation's "worst enemy."
In January 2021, he closed the country's borders. He said that anyone bringing COVID-19 into Burundi would be treated like "people bringing weapons to kill Burundians."
However, in February 2021, Burundi and Tanzania were the only African nations to refuse vaccines from the COVAX program. The health minister said that since most patients were getting better, vaccines were not yet needed. For most of 2021, Burundi did not try to get vaccines. But in October 2021, Burundi received 500,000 doses of the Chinese Sinopharm BIBP vaccine.
International Relations
In December 2022, President Ndayishimiye went to the United States–Africa Leaders Summit 2022 in Washington, D.C. This meeting was hosted by US President Joe Biden.
In July 2023, he attended the 2023 Russia–Africa Summit in Saint Petersburg. There, he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the same month, he went to the opening ceremony of the 2021 Summer World University Games in Chengdu, China. While there, he met with President of China Xi Jinping.
See also
In Spanish: Évariste Ndayishimiye para niños
