Sylvestre Ntibantunganya facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sylvestre Ntibantunganya
Ntibantunganya in 1994
6th President of Burundi
In office 6 April 1994 – 25 July 1996
Prime Minister	Anatole Kanyenkiko (1994–1995) Antoine Nduwayo (1995–1996)
Preceded by	Cyprien Ntaryamira
Succeeded by	Pierre Buyoya
President of the National Assembly of Burundi
In office 23 December 1993 – 30 September 1994
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burundi
In office 10 July 1993 – 22 December 1993
Personal details
Born	(1956-05-08) 8 May 1956 (age 69) Commune of Gishubi, Gitega, Burundi
Political party	Front for Democracy in Burundi (FRODEBU) Burundi Workers' Party (UBU)
Spouses	Eusébie Nshimirimana (until 1993) Pascasie Minani (from 1995)
Occupation	Politician • Author

Sylvestre Ntibantunganya (born 8 May 1956) is a Burundian politician. He served as the President of Burundi from April 1994 to July 1996. Before becoming president, he was the President of the National Assembly of Burundi from December 1993 to September 1994.

Ntibantunganya is from the Hutu ethnic group. He became involved in politics in the 1970s. He helped create the Front for Democracy in Burundi (FRODEBU) party in 1986. After working as a journalist, he was elected to Burundi's National Assembly in 1993. He then became the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Burundi faced a difficult period of civil war between Hutus and Tutsis. This conflict began after the assassination of President Melchior Ndadaye in October 1993. Ntibantunganya became interim president after Ndadaye's successor, Cyprien Ntaryamira, also died in April 1994. He was later overthrown in a military coup in 1996. After the civil war ended in 2005, he became a senator for life until 2018. He also ran for president in 2015 but was not successful.

Early Life and Education

Sylvestre Ntibantunganya was born on 8 May 1956 in Gishubi, a town in Gitega Province, Burundi. He is a member of the Hutu ethnic group. As a child, he thought about becoming a priest and attended a seminary.

He later left the seminary and went to university. In 1984, he earned a bachelor's degree in history and geography. After graduating, he worked as a journalist for Burundi National Radio and Television from 1984 to 1987.

Political Journey

Starting in Politics

In the 1970s, Ntibantunganya was part of a student movement. In 1979, some members of this movement formed the Burundi Workers' Party (UBU). This party focused on workers' rights and social change. Ntibantunganya joined UBU and quickly became an important member.

However, there were disagreements within the party. Ntibantunganya and Melchior Ndadaye believed in democracy and political freedom. Because of these differences, they left UBU in 1983.

In 1988, President Pierre Buyoya created a group to study ethnic divisions in Burundi. This group aimed to find ways to unite the country. Ntibantunganya was a member of this group. He later felt that the project did not fully succeed. In 1991, he started a newspaper called Tujujurane. He also helped create the Front for Democracy in Burundi (FRODEBU) in 1986. He worked on FRODEBU's official newspaper, L'Aube de la Démocratie (meaning Dawn of Democracy).

Becoming a Minister and Assembly President

In June 1993, Ntibantunganya was elected to the National Assembly for Gitega. The next month, in July, he became the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He served in the government led by Prime Minister Sylvie Kinigi.

In October 1993, soldiers in the Burundian Army attempted a coup. They attacked the presidential palace. President Ndadaye was sadly killed during this coup. Other government officials in line to become president also died. Ntibantunganya had to hide for his safety. His wife, Eusébie Nshimirimana, was also killed during this difficult time.

After these events, Ntibantunganya became the temporary leader of the FRODEBU party. He resigned as Minister of Foreign Affairs in December 1993. The very next day, he was elected President of the National Assembly.

FRODEBU then worked to choose a new president. Ntibantunganya decided not to be a candidate himself. Instead, Cyprien Ntaryamira was chosen and became President of Burundi in February 1994.

Leading Burundi as President

On 6 April 1994, President Ntaryamira was traveling on a plane with the President of Rwanda. The plane was shot down, and everyone on board died. This event also triggered the Rwandan genocide in neighboring Rwanda.

After the crash, Ntibantunganya spoke on television, asking for calm. As President of the National Assembly, he became the interim President of Burundi. His government worked well with Prime Minister Anatole Kanyenkiko.

Burundi faced challenges from the Rwandan Civil War. Ntibantunganya's government decided to remain neutral. They did not allow Rwandan officials from the former government to stay in Burundi. They also refused to let French troops use Burundi as a base. The conflict created a large refugee crisis, with many Rwandans fleeing to Burundi. Ntibantunganya's government worked with international groups to help these refugees.

During 1994, the political situation in Burundi became more difficult. Extreme groups gained more power, and ethnic violence increased. By mid-1994, Ntibantunganya was one of the few original FRODEBU leaders still active in politics. His party also split into different groups. His time as President of the National Assembly ended in September 1994.

In 1995, Ntibantunganya dismissed two ministers from the UPRONA party. Later that year, Prime Minister Kanyenkiko was replaced by Antoine Nduwayo. Nduwayo often disagreed with the president's policies. In 1995, Ntibantunganya married his second wife, Pascasie Minani.

As the civil war worsened, Ntibantunganya attended regional peace talks in June 1996. He and Prime Minister Nduwayo agreed to ask for international military help. However, the Burundian Army and the UPRONA party strongly opposed this idea. Nduwayo then accused Ntibantunganya of working against the military.

In July 1996, a group of Tutsis were killed. When Ntibantunganya tried to attend their funeral, he was attacked by a crowd and had to leave by helicopter. Feeling his life was in danger, he sought safety at the United States Ambassador's home. On 25 July, he went to the residence, and Nduwayo announced his government's resignation. Major Pierre Buyoya then took power in a military coup. Buyoya suspended the constitution and banned political parties. Ntibantunganya later negotiated with Buyoya and was given a home in Bujumbura.

Later Life and Contributions

After the Burundian Civil War ended in 2005, Ntibantunganya became a senator for life. This was part of the peace agreements that helped end the war. He served as a senator until August 2018.

In 2015, he ran as a candidate in the 2015 Burundian presidential election. However, he and other opposition candidates withdrew from the race. They were concerned about their safety and believed the election might not be fair. In 2016, he spent several months living in Belgium. In 2020, he led an election monitoring team for the general elections in Tanzania.

Ntibantunganya has also written books. In 1999, he published his first book, Démocratie (une) pour tous les Burundais (meaning A Democracy for all Burundians). In 2019, he published another book called Burundi, Démocratie piégée (meaning Burundi, Trapped Democracy). On International book day in 2021, he encouraged Burundians to read more books.

Images for kids

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  Sylvestre Ntibantunganya in 1994

See also

In Spanish: Sylvestre Ntibantunganya para niños