Burundi’s Dismissed PM Sentenced To Life Imprisonment For Alleged Attempt To Overthrow Government

On Friday, Burundi’s Supreme Court issued a life sentence to the country’s ousted Prime Minister Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni.

The charges against him included an attempt to overthrow the government and posing a threat to the president’s life, as revealed by a judicial source.

Bunyoni, who served as prime minister from mid-2020 until his dismissal in September 2022, was removed just days after President Evariste Ndayishimiye had alerted to an alleged coup plot against him.

The court convened in the political capital Gitega, found Bunyoni guilty of plotting against the head of state to disrupt the constitutional regime, as well as other charges, such as using witchcraft to endanger the president’s life, destabilizing the economy, and engaging in illegal enrichment.

Despite pleading not guilty to all charges and citing a lack of evidence, the former prime minister was convicted, and the court ordered the confiscation of four houses, buildings, a land parcel, and 14 vehicles owned by Bunyoni.

Additionally, five other individuals on trial, including the main co-defendants – a police colonel and a senior intelligence agent – received sentences ranging from three to 15 years.

The seventh defendant, a driver, was acquitted, as per the same judicial source.

Chief Justice Emmanuel Gateretse delivered the verdict during a session held at the prison where Bunyoni was detained.

The arrest of Bunyoni took place in April in Bujumbura, Burundi’s economic capital, on the eve of his 51st birthday.

A former police chief and internal security minister, Bunyoni was perceived as the leader of a group of military figures referred to as “the generals,” wielding significant political influence in Burundi.

A key ally of former president Pierre Nkurunziza, Bunyoni played a prominent role in the ruling CNDD-FDD party since its assumption of power in 2005.

Considered the de facto number two in the regime since the 2015 political crisis, he was arrested as part of a broader crackdown. Ndayishimiye assumed power in June 2020 after Nkurunziza’s death, receiving international praise for gradually ending Burundi’s isolation under the previous chaotic and turbulent rule.

However, the country, with a population of 12 million, continues to face challenges, maintaining a dismal human rights record and enduring severe poverty.

In 2015, under Nkurunziza’s leadership, Burundi witnessed a crackdown on political opponents, resulting in global isolation after he pursued a third term in office in violation of a peace deal that had concluded a bloody civil war in 2006.