The 1987 Burundian coup d'état was a bloodless military coup d'état that took place in Burundi on 3 September 1987. Tutsi president Jean-Baptiste Bagaza was deposed whilst traveling abroad and succeeded by Tutsi Major Pierre Buyoya.[1]
Background[]
Jean-Baptiste Bagaza was appointed president of Burundi in 1976, following a military coup that deposed Michel Micombero. As president of the Union for National Progress (UPRONA) party, he was the sole candidate in the 1984 Burundi presidential election and was re-elected with 99.6% of the votes.[2] During Bagaza's presidency, there were long-standing tensions over the repression of the Roman Catholic Church, in a country where 65% of citizens are practising Catholics.[3] This was later described by diplomats as a key factor in the coup.[4]
Coup and aftermath[]
In September 1987, Bagaza travelled to Quebec, Canada, to attend a francophone summit.[1] The army took over, led by Bagaza's cousin, Major Pierre Buyoya.[5] Hearing of the coup, Bagaza immediately returned to Africa but Bujumbura Airport was closed, and in Nairobi, he was refused entrance to Kenya.[4] Following the coup, Bagaza fled to Uganda, and then in 1989, Libya, where he was granted political asylum.[6]
Pierre Buyoya formed a Military Committee for National Salvation to take control, suspended the country's constitution and was inaugurated as president on 2 October 1987.[2] Buyoya, a Roman Catholic, said that he would lift measures imposed on the Catholic Church by Bagaza's government.[7] He was succeeded by Melchior Ndadaye in 1993 and came to power in Burundi for a second time, following a military coup in 1996 that ousted Sylvestre Ntibantunganya.[8]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kieh, George Klay (2007). Beyond State Failure and Collapse: Making the State Relevant in Africa. Lexington Books. p. 73. ISBN 0-7391-0892-1. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=s1MtpwbymdgC&pg=PA73.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Europa World Year, Book 1. Taylor & Francis. 2004. p. 946. ISBN 1-85743-254-1. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=x7v0M2mZHpMC&pg=PA946.
- ↑ Rule, Sheila (24 September 2010). "Burundi Leader Attempts East-West Balance". The New York Times Company. http://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/24/world/burundi-leader-attempts-east-west-balance.html?pagewanted=1. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Harden, Blaine (5 September 1987). "Dismay at Anti-Catholic Measures Said to Have Inspired Burundi Coup". The Washington Post Company. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1341511.html. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
- ↑ Europa Publications (2004). Africa South of the Sahara 2004. Routledge. p. 135. ISBN 1-85743-183-9. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=jj4J-AXGDaQC&pg=PA135.
- ↑ "Burundi's Ex-President Granted Asylum in Libya". The New York Times Company. 17 January 1989. http://news.google.co.uk/newspapers?id=WbQeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rs4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5645,186172&dq=bagaza&hl=en. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
- ↑ Rule, Sheila (27 September 1987). "New Burundi Leader Vows to Lift Curbs on Church". The New York Times Company. http://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/27/world/new-burundi-leader-vows-to-lift-curbs-on-church.html. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
- ↑ Palmer, Mark (2005). Breaking the Real Axis of Evil: How to Oust the World's Last Dictators by 2025. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 221. ISBN 0-7425-3255-0. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=SATc3grT0cAC&pg=PA221.
The original article can be found at 1987 Burundian coup d'état and the edit history here.