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Antoine Nduwayo
Prime Minister of Burundi
In office
22 February 1995 – 31 July 1996
President Sylvestre Ntibantunganya
Preceded by Anatole Kanyenkiko
Succeeded by Pascal-Firmin Ndimira
Personal details
Born 1942
Nationality Burundian

Antoine Nduwayo was born in 1942. He served as the Prime Minister of Burundi from February 22, 1995, to July 31, 1996. He is from the Tutsi ethnic group in Burundi.

Antoine Nduwayo's Political Journey

Antoine Nduwayo first became an important leader. He worked as the executive secretary for the Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL). This group helps countries in the Great Lakes region work together on economic matters.

Becoming Prime Minister

The previous Prime Minister, Anatole Kanyenkiko, stepped down on February 15, 1995. He was part of a political party called Union pour le progrès national (UPRONA). Some members of his party wanted him to resign.

UPRONA's smaller partner parties did not agree with UPRONA's first choice for the new Prime Minister. Instead, they suggested Antoine Nduwayo. UPRONA agreed to this choice. After Nduwayo was nominated, the capital city, Bujumbura, became calmer.

Hutu President Sylvestre Ntibantunganya officially appointed Antoine Nduwayo as Prime Minister of Burundi on February 22, 1995. During this time, the government was reorganized. Some smaller Tutsi parties gained more power.

Challenges During His Time in Office

Antoine Nduwayo became Prime Minister when there was a lot of tension. Armed groups from both the Hutu and Tutsi communities were resisting efforts to share power. Violence increased in 1995 and early 1996.

In October 1995, the government was changed again. The FRODEBU party and its allies had fewer positions. By May 1996, military leaders were in charge of several provinces. These included Bubanza, Karuzi, Kayanza, Muyinga, and Ngozi.

Foreign Intervention and Government Change

In July 1996, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) held a meeting in Tanzania. Julius Nyerere, the former president of Tanzania, led this meeting. He said that East African troops might need to go to Burundi. This was to help stop the violence between ethnic groups.

Prime Minister Nduwayo and President Ntibantunganya agreed to accept help with security. However, this decision led to protests against the government. The Burundian army also warned Nduwayo. He then changed his mind about allowing foreign troops to intervene.

On July 24, 1996, Nduwayo's UPRONA party left its partnership with FRODEBU. This caused the power-sharing government to fall apart. The next day, July 25, 1996, Pierre Buyoya took over the government. Buyoya was a strong Tutsi military leader and a former president. He was also a leader of UPRONA.

Nduwayo resigned soon after this change in government. Pascal-Firmin Ndimira from the UPRONA party became the new Prime Minister. He served from July 31, 1996, to June 12, 1998.

Antoine Nduwayo's Later Public Roles

After leaving his role as Prime Minister, Antoine Nduwayo took on new responsibilities. He became the Director-General of a financial organization called the Caisse de Mobilization et de Financement (CAMOFI). This organization faced serious financial problems and closed down in November 1998.

Nduwayo then went on to lead another bank. This bank was called the Banque de commerce et de développement (BCD). It started on January 14, 1999. Even though CAMOFI had faced problems, Nduwayo was still appointed to lead BCD. This showed that powerful politicians could sometimes influence decisions about who led important organizations.

Working for Peace

In May 2001, Antoine Nduwayo was part of a group from Burundi. This group had 22 members, including army leaders and religious figures. They traveled to South Africa to meet with Nelson Mandela. Mandela was helping to mediate the crisis in Burundi.

The BCD bank also faced many challenges. The central bank took control of BCD on March 23, 2004. This happened after a long period of ignored warnings about the bank's problems. The bank needed a lot of money to keep operating, but it had a poor reputation.

Learning from History

In April 2017, Antoine Nduwayo went with a group of young people from Burundi to the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Rwanda. He explained that it was important for people in Burundi to learn from Rwanda's past. He wanted to make sure that political tensions in Burundi at that time did not lead to similar tragedies.

In October 2020, a court in Burundi made a decision about the assassination of President Melchior Ndadaye in 1993. Fifteen former officials were sentenced. These included former president Pierre Buyoya. Antoine Nduwayo was the only person accused who was found not guilty.

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