Burundi : Ndadaye assassinated, justice unfinished, 2027 presidential election contested: Frodebu raises his voice

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, October 21, 2026 —Thirty-three years after the assassination of Melchior Ndadaye, Burundi’s first democratically elected Hutu president, the Sahwanya Frodebu party is still demanding that all those responsible for this crime be identified and condemned. The political party also announces that it will not present a candidate in the presidential election of May 2027, considering that the guarantees of transparency and inclusiveness of the electoral process are not met.

Through these two positions, the former president’s party calls into question, on the one hand, a justice system that it considers unfinished and, on the other hand, the conditions in which the next presidential election must take place.

“Thirty-three years have passed without justice being fully served,” declared Phénias Niyigaba, vice-president of Sahwanya Frodebu.

The party recognizes that the legal case has seen progress, particularly with the reopening of the case, arrests and convictions. However, he considers that these measures remain insufficient as long as all the alleged perpetrators and sponsors of the assassination have not been identified and convicted.

Frodebu claims to have already filed a complaint in this matter, without obtaining a response that it considers satisfactory. He thus continues to demand that all light be shed on the assassination of its founder.

Ndadaye, symbol of the Burundian democracy

Melchior Ndadaye, Burundi’s first democratically elected Hutu president, came from the Sahwanya Frodebu party, which he founded and which won the 1993 elections.

He was assassinated on October 21, 1993, during an attempted coup d’état, less than four months after coming to power. He remains an emblematic figure of democracy and political change in Burundi.

His assassination plunged the country into a long period of violence. Massacres of Tutsi populations followed his death, before Burundi descended into a civil war which left more than 300,000 dead, according to the United Nations.

In 2020, the Supreme Court of Burundi sentenced 17 of the 21 people prosecuted in the Ndadaye assassination case to life imprisonment. Among those convicted were several former senior officers of the former Burundian Armed Forces (FAB), the regular army of Burundi, then dominated by the Tutsi minority.

Burundi’s presidential couple, Évariste and Angeline Ndayishimiye, pay their respects at the grave of Melchior Ndadaye at the Martyrs’ Monument in Bujumbura (SOS Médias Burundi)

The integration of former combatants from predominantly Hutu armed movements, including the CNDD-FDD, now in power, into the new defense and security structures was initiated as part of the peace process following the Arusha agreement of August 2000, concluded to put an end to the civil war which had ravaged this small East African country.

Despite the convictions handed down in 2020, Sahwanya Frodebu considers that justice remains incomplete until the responsibilities of all those involved in the preparation and execution of the assassination have been established.

The Catholic Church denounces abuse of power

On the occasion of the commemoration, the Archbishop of Bujumbura, in western Burundi, a region which is home to the commercial capital where Melchior Ndadaye was assassinated and buried, Mgr Gervais Banshimiyubusa, called on public officials to exercise their functions with humility and a sense of responsibility. He warned them against abuse of power and contempt for citizens.

“God put us on this earth as servants who must render good service to others. Anyone who behaves otherwise will be held accountable for their actions,” he said.

The archbishop also denounced the behavior of certain officials towards the population.

“There are some who are not afraid to treat ordinary citizens as if they were their own animals, doing with them whatever they want. This is prohibited,” he added.

These statements come at a time when questions of governance, respect for citizens’ rights and the responsibility of leaders remain at the heart of debates in Burundi.

Frodebu refuses to present a candidate in 2027

On the political front, Sahwanya Frodebu announced that it would not present a candidate in the presidential election scheduled for May 2027.

The decision was taken during a meeting of the party’s National Council of Delegates, held on October 10, 2026. It was made public in a press release signed by the party’s president, Patrick Nkurunziza.

The political party justifies this choice by its concerns regarding the transparency and inclusiveness of the electoral process. It particularly fears that the irregularities she denounces during previous elections will occur again in 2027.

The party says its decision also takes into account the general situation of the country and conditions under which the next presidential election is to be held.

He specifies, however, that he is not abandoning his political commitment. The Frodebu intends to continue its activities and prepare its members for the legislative and district council elections scheduled for 2030.

Justice and electoral credibility in question

Thirty-three years after the assassination of Melchior Ndadaye, the Sahwanya Frodebu continues to demand that full accountability be established in this case. By refusing to field a candidate for the 2027 presidential election, the party also signals its reservations regarding the guarantees provided by the electoral process.

The October 21st commemoration thus brings two major issues for Burundi’s political future back to the forefront : the fight against impunity and the holding of credible elections.

………

The Martyrs’ Monument in Bujumbura, the resting place of Melchior Ndadaye and the officials assassinated alongside him (SOS Médias Burundi)