A Timeline of Events in Burundi

Here’s a timeline I put together of events in Burundi since the beginning of this calender year. I’ll do my best to keep it updated in the coming days.

• December 31-January 3: Clahses occur between unidentified rebels on one side and the Army, Police, and Imbonerakure in Cibitoke. Though some rebels may have been killed in battle, many others surrendered and were executed. At least 47 rebels died.
• January 1: The United Nations Electoral Observation Mission in Burundi begins its work.
• January 6: Five men in army fatigues kill three CNDD-FDD supporters in a bar in Gisuru.
• January 12: Burundi’s government boycotts the launch of the UN’s Electoral Observation Mission in Burundi.
• January 15: Former Vice President and deputy leader of FRODEBU Frederic Bamvuginyumvira is sentenced to five years in prison for bribery and FRODEBU youth leader Patrick Nkurunziza is arrested on suspicion of having a connection to Cibitoke rebels.
• January 20: Popular radio host Bob Rugurika is arrested under suspicion of murdering three Italian nuns.
• January 20: Around 150 civil society activists protest Rugurika’s detention in Bujumbura.
• January 25: The EU sets aside 8 million euro for supporting the Burundian elections.
• January 29: EU Ambassador to Burundi Patrick Spirlet calls for Bob Rugurika to be freed.
• January 30: Burundi’s government states it is ready to compromise with the opposition to ensure peaceful elections.
• February 1: Burundi’s Catholic Church calls for the release of Bob Rugurika.
• February 3: Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif visits Bujumbura and states that Iran is ready to work in conjunction with Burundian authorities to fight terrorism.
• February 3: A statement in the UK Parliament expresses concern about the incarceration of Bob Rugurika, and 32 MP’s sign on.
• February 4: Criminal charges against Bob Rugurika are confirmed by a Bujumbura court.
• February 5: The US State Department issues a statement expression concern regarding the extrajudicial killings in Cibitoke and the imprisonment of Rugurika.
• February 6: A spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights gives a statement condemning the continuing imprisonment of Rugurika. A spokesperson for the UNSG made a similar statement.
• February 10: Protesters in Bujumbura demand the release of Rugurika.
• February 11: The European Parliament issues a statement critical of the detention of Rugurika.
• February 12: The civil society group “Campagne citoyenne, Non à un troisième mandate” sends a letter to Nkurunziza asking him not to run for a third term.
• February 18: The President of the UNSC releases a lengthy statement on Burundi, touching on many topics, but particularly the need for free and fair elections and condemning the Cibitoke killings.
• February 19: Bob Rugurika is released from prison, and massive celebrations erupt in Bujumbura.
• February 19: President Nkurunziza fires his Intelligence Chief, Major General Godefroid Niyombare following a leaked memo from Niyombare stating his opposition to a third term.
• February 24: President Nkurunziza nominates General Etienne Ntakarutimana to be the next Intelligence Chief.
• February 25: A spokesperson for the Office of the President confirms Nkurunziza would seek a third term if nominated by the CNDD-FDD.
• February 26: Activists behind the “Stop the 3^rd Term” campaign hold a press conference urging protests against a third term for President Nkurunziza.
• February 28: Protests against a third term for Nkurunziza take place in Bujumbura.
• March 1: Hussein Radjabu, the former head of the CNDD-FDD, escapes from prison with the help of guards and flees the country.
• February 28: The wife of General Godefroid Niyombare is the target of an assassination attempt.
• March 2: UPRONA nominates Gerard Nduwayo as its presidential candidate.
• March 5: Burundi’s national assembly pass a law expanding press freedom.
• March 5: A general strike, organized by around 1,500 civil society organizations, takes place in response to high mobile phone and fuel prices.
• March 6: EU delegate in Burundi Patrick Spirlet says President Nkurunziza should carefully consider whether or not to run for a third term.
• March 7: The Catholic Church in Burundi says Nkurunziza should not run for a third term.
• March 9: Aisha Laraba Abdullahi, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, says the organization does not yet have a position on a third term for Nkurunziza.
• March 10: The AU positively responds to Burundi’s request to aid the investigation into corpses found in Lake Rweru.
• March 11: The Elders release a statement calling for calm and free and fair elections.
• March 11: The National Rally for Change and the Alliance of Democrats for Change called on the UN to prevent President Nkurunziza from seeking a third term.
• March 15: The wife of Agathon Rwasa (the leader of the FNL), Annonciate Haberisoni, is shot and wounded in an apparent assassination attempt in Bujumbura.
• March 17: A severe fuel shortage grips Bujumbura.
• March 18: At a meeting of the East African Legislative Assembly in Bujumbura, Nkurunziza promises free and peaceful elections.
• March 20: Tanzanian President Kikwete says Nkurunziza should not seek a third term and doing so would risk regional tensions.
• March 23: A letter signed initially by 17 prominent CNDD-FDD members is sent to Nkurunziza asking him not to run for a third term. The number of signatories later reached over 75.
• March 24: The chairman of the CNDD-FDD suspends spokesperson Onesime Nduwimana following his signing of the anti-third term letter.
• March 27: AU Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma urges Burundi to respect the Arusha Agreement on a visit to the country.
• April 2: An anti-3^rd term protest happens in downtown Bujumbura.
• April 2: The President of the National Assembly Pie Ntavyohanyuma is banned from international travel after opposing Nkurunziza’s third term.
• April 3: 500 Burundians flee to Rwanda citing harassment and threats of violence by the Imbonerakure.
• April 4: A delegation of Burundian ministers meet with Burundian refugees in Rwanda.
• April 6: The AU Special Representative in Burundi, Boubacar Diarra, was kicked out of the country for his anti-3^rd term stance.
• April 8: Few parties have registered for local elections by the April 8^th
• April 9: A military officer is kidnapped from the vehicle of General Niyombare, the former Intelligence Chief who was sacked for his anti-3^rd term stance.
• April 10: The government extends the registration period for local elections.
• April 11: 10,000 CNDD-FDD supporters march in Bujumbura.
• April 13: Nkurunziza meets Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Huye District, Rwanda to discuss Burundian refugees.
• April 14: The number of Burundian refugees in Rwanda rises to 4,000.
• April 15: Planned opposition protests are largely thwarted by a large police presence in Bujumbura.
• April 15: The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid bin Ra’ad visits Burundi and says Burundi is at a “crossroads”. He also attends a roundtable discussion on human and elections partially organized by the ICGLR.
• April 15: The US State Department issues a statement welcoming the appointment of Arvin Boolell to be the new AU Special Representative to the Great Lakes.
• April 15: After meeting with Interior Minister Edouard Nduwimana, UNSG Ban ki-Moon expresses concerns about pre-election violence.
• April 15: The number of Burundian refugees in Rwanda rises to 6,000.
• April 17: Police disperse protests against a third term in Bujumbura with tear gas and water cannons. Some protesters throw rocks at police, and two policemen are injured.
• April 17: The US State Department releases a statement saying it is concerned by the number of Burundian refugees and the escalating situation.
• April 18: The UN Security Council releases a statement saying it would monitor the situation and called on all parties to remain peaceful.
• April 19: Burundi charges 65 protesters with rebellion following their participation in protests two days earlier.
• April 20: Senior cabinet officials inform the army that it may be called out to help deal with protests in the future.
• April 20: André Niyihangejeje, a staffer for Vice President Terence Sinunguruza and UPRONA member, is assaulted by the Imbonerakure.
• April 21: The nine parties that form the Participatory Opposition Coalition (COPA) nominate Jean de Dieu Mutabazi as its presidential candidate.
• April 21: The Burundian government and the EU sign an agreement on the EU’s election-monitoring mission.
• April 21: More than 200 students marched toward Mpimba Prison in Bujumbura to demand the release of two fellow students.
• April 21: The French and American militaries pull their military trainers (associated with AMISOM) out of Burundi, officially for vacation.
• April 23: Burundians in Cibitoke begin fleeing to the DRC following harassment and intimidation by the Imbonerakure.
• April 23: The Burundian government releases a statement saying portions of the Arusha Agreement are invalid.
• April 24: The Burundian government bans demonstrations.
• April 24: The number of Burundian refugees in Rwanda reaches 15,000.
• April 25: Senior CNDD-FDD officials nominate Nkurunziza to run for a third term with between 93-100% of the vote.
• April 26: Protests erupt in Bujumbura in reaction to Nkurunziza’s nomination. Between two and five people are killed and five injured by police. The government also threatens to shut down the RPA radio station.
• April 27: Further protests take place in Bujumbura and are met with police repression. The police occasionally fire live ammunition at protestors. Human rights activist Pierre-Claver Mbonimpa is arrested.
• April 27: The EU releases a statement calling for police restraint and free and fair elections.
• April 28: Protests continue for the third straight day with the overall death toll rising to six. Police blocked demonstrators from marching to the city center.
• April 28: Burundi’s government told international diplomats to remain neutral in the constitutional dispute between the CNDD-FDD and the opposition.
• April 28: Burundi’s most prominent independent radio station, RPA (Vice-President Joseph Ntakirutiman, a member of the CNDD-FDD, compared it to Radio Mille Collines) is shut down by the government. It also shut down Mansion de la Presse and banned live reporting on protests by Radio Isanganiro and Radio Bonesha FM.
• April 28: AU Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma applauds the Senate’s decision to allow the Constitutional Court to rule whether Nkurunziza can stand for reelection.
• April 28: The UNSG releases a statement urging investigation into lives lost in protests and a peaceful election process as US Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Tom Malinowksi visits the country.
• April 28: The number of Burundian refugees in Rwanda reaches 23,000 prompting Rwanda to scale-up relief operations.
• April 29: Protests continue for the fourth straight day, and become more concentrated in the Musaga neighborhood of Bujumbura, though they’re less intense than during previous days. In response, the government partially blocks social media in the capital. The death toll reaches seven, including two policemen.
• April 29: The Director General of the Police and the Chief of Staff of the Army read out a joint statement expressing unity.
• April 29: The French, Canadian, and Swiss government all release statements on the situation in Burundi.
• April 30: Protests continue in the Bujumbura neighborhoods of Cibitoke, Nyakabiga and Musaga, and protesters erect barricades. Protesters march toward the national road where police push them back.
• April 30: The Burundian Senate announces the Constitutional Court will decide the legality of Nkurunziza seeking a third term.
• April 30: Opposition leaders Agathon Rwasa (FNL) and Jean Minani (FRODEBU) state they will boycott elections if Nkurunziza stands for a third term.
• Mary 1: Protests continue in Bujumbura. A soldier is killed, allegedly by an intelligence officer. 15 civilians are wounded. Protesters from Musaga again attempt to march on downtown Bujumbura, but are stopped by police. Police say they have arrested almost 600 demonstrators since protests began.
• May 1: The Burundian government closes national universities forcing hundreds of students to take refuge outside the US embassy.
• May 1: In a speech to the nation, Nkurunziza warns protesters they will face severe sanctions.
• May 1: Protesters announce a 48-hour truce with the government to allow the sides to regroup and bury the dead.
• May 1: Russia and China block a French UNSC resolution on Burundi, with Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin stating the UNSC shouldn’t intervene.
• May 1: The Office of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights expresses its concern about violence in Burundi and reiterates the need for free and fair election.
• May 2: A spokesperson for Pierre Nkurunziza announces three people died, two of whom were police officers, and 17 were injured in two grenade attacks on May 1^st.
• May 3: Dozens of Burundian journalists mark International Press Freedom Day by demonstrating against the censuring of media in Bujumbura.
• May 3: Defense Minister General Pontien Gaciyubwenge announces the army will remain neutral a few hours after the Security Minister, General Gabriel Nizigama, announced a crackdown on protesters, calling them “terrorists”.
• May 3: The Army’s Chief of Staff pledges the military’s loyalty to the current authorities.
• May 4: Protests continue, and some demonstrators manage to reach downtown Bujumbura, where they are met by a mix live ammunition and non-lethal projectiles fired by police. Musaga continues to be a center of protest activity, and protesters erect further barricades as police look on. Protests also took place in Nyakabiga and Kinindo. Three protesters died.
• May 4: US Secretary of State John Kerry tells reporters that a third term for Nkurunziza would be unconstitutional.
• May 4: The Vice President of the Constitutional Court Sylvere Nimpagaritse flees to Rwanda citing pressures to confirm the constitutionality of Nkurunziza’s third term.
• May 5: Protests are less intense than in previous days but continue, and police fire in the air near the US embassy to disperse demonstrators.
• May 5: Burundi’s Constitutional Court confirms a third term for Nkurunziza would be constitutional.
• May 5: Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete urges foreign ministers from EAC member-states to investigate the situation in Burundi.
• May 5: Former President Domitien Ndayizeye criticizes Nkurunziza’s desire to stand for a third term.
• May 5: Vice President Prosper Bazombaza says his government respects the Arusha accord and the Constitution, and that the government is ready to release arrested demonstrators to aid dialogue.
• May 5: Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo states that while Rwanda respects Burundi’s sovereignty, protecting Burundian civilians is a regional and international priority.
• May 6: Protests pick up again with 15 demonstrators injured. Audifax Ndabitoreye, an independent presidential candidate, is arrested.
• May 6: The number of Burundians that have fled due to election-related unrest to neighboring countries rises to almost 40,000.
• May 6: In a speech to the nation, Nkurunziza pledges not to run for a fourth term and that he will release all demonstrators under 18 immediately.
• May 6: East African Foreign Ministers arrive in Burundi to participate in talks and pursue a fact-finding mission.
• May 6: The government and political opposition meet to try and find a solution to the crisis.
• May 6: The Catholic Church of Burundi releases a statement calling for an end to protests and subtlety indicating Nkurunziza should not run for a third term.
• May 7: Protests continue in Burundi, with widespread reports that protesters lynched at a suspected member of the Imbonerakure and the army saved another.
• May 7: AU Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma calls on Burundi to delay elections.
• May 8: Nkurunziza officially registers to run for a third term.
• May 8: The number of refugees reaches 50,000.
• May 8: Paul Kagame subtly comes out against a third term for Nkurunziza.
• May 8: The UNSC pleads for calm in Burundi, but didn’t address the third term issue. In a separate statement, Samantha Power threatens sanctions against anyone involved in violence. Additionally, ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda also says the ICC was monitoring the situation.
• May 8: The UNSC receives details of plans for assassinations of prominent CNDD-FDD opponents.
• May 9: Protesters observe a day-long truce.
• May 9: The Burundian government demands that protesters remove all barricades within 48 hours.
• May 9: Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta urges all parties to come together for dialogue.
• May 10: Protests resume with security forces attempting to remove barricades. At least one protester dies. A group of women protesting are able to reach the city center for the first time since the protests began.
• May 10: Minister of Defense Pontien Gaciyubwenge, who had previously stated the army intended to remain neutral, reads out a government statement ordering all civil servants to return to work Monday and for schools to open.
• May 11: Protests continue, with around 2,000 people marching in the Musaga neighborhood of Bujumbura.
• May 11: The US and EU call for Burundi’s elections to be delayed.
• May 11: Belgium and the EU pull their financial support for Burundi’s election while Belgium also withdraws funding for police training.
• May 12: Protests continue in Bujumbura, with at least three protester deaths. Protesters also seize a police officer and beat her before colleagues rescue her.
• May 12: Nkurunziza calls the Arusha Accords an “ordinary law”.
• May 12: Agathon Rwasa warns that civilians will take up arms if Nkurunziza is allowed to run for a third term.
• May 12: ICGLR Chairman Jose Eduardo dos Santos of Angola sends a letter to Nkurunziza expressing concern about instability in Burundi.
• May 12: EAC prepare to meet, with regional heads of state, including Nkurunziza, attending the summit in Tanzania.
• May 13: Protests get to within a kilometer of the Presidential Palace and police open fire on demonstrators.
• May 13: General Godefroid Niyombare, who was sacked as Intelligence Chief in February, declares on local radio he has dismissed Nkurunziza as President and is working to form a transitional government. Niyombare also announced the creation of a temporary ruling committee, but did not say who comprised the committee.
• May 13: Nkurunziza’s twitter account initially denies the coup attempt, and then denies it has been successful.
• May 13: EAC, who are meeting in Tanzania, denounce the coup attempt and call for a return to constitutional rule.
• May 13: Nkurunziza attempts to re-enter the country, but is turned away from Bujumbura’s airport and returns to Tanzania.
• May 13: The number of refugees reaches 70,000.
• May 13: A State Department spokesperson calls for calm but doesn’t call it a “coup”.
• May 13: A grenade attack damages Renaissance TV in Bujumbura.
• May 14: Fighting is centered around state radio station RTNB, with Nkurunziza loyalists holding it.
• May 14: Iwacu closes down, citing security concerns.
• May 14: Via Twitter, Nkurunziza declares he is back in Burundi, but Ugandan officials say a few minutes later he’s in Uganda. Tanzanian officials also say he’s not in Tanzania.
• May 14: General Prime Niyongabo, the Army Chief of Staff, declares the coup a failure.
• May 14: The United States says it recognizes Nkurunziza as the legitimate President of Burundi.
• May 14: UN relief agencies agree to create a regional plan to deal with the exodus of Burundian refugees.
• May 15: Niyombare admits the failure of the coup and says that while he’s still on the run, he intends to surrender. The government say they have arrested him and that he did not surrender willingly. Three other coup leaders are arrested.
• May 15: President Nkurunziza returns to Bujumbura.
• May 15: Focode, a civil society group, calls for more protests, even though some protesters have been told they will face lethal force.
• May 15: The AU condemns attempts to seize power through violence and calls for dialogue. The United States warns against retaliatory violence and asserts it will not provide military aid to human rights abusers. UNHCHR Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein also urged the Burundian authorities to refrain from violence.
• May 16: Protests continue, with about 100 people demonstrating in Bujumbura.
• May 16: 18 people accused of plotting the coup appear in court, with some of them having visible injuries, allegedly from beatings sustained in jail.
• May 16: Police attack and abduct at least three wounded soldiers suspected of being coup conspirators at Bumerec Hospital in Bujumbura. A fourth dies at the hospital.
• May 16: The number of refugees reaches 100,000.
• May 17: Pierre Nkurunziza makes his first public appearance in Bujumbura since the coup attempt. He warns that al Shabaab is planning an attack in Burundi, but al Shabaab deny it.
• May 17: At a public blessing, Pope Francis invites those present to pray for peace in Burundi.
• May 17: AU Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma issues a statement saying she continues to follow the situation in Burundi closely and that a political dialogue is necessary to address the country’s problems.
• May 18: There is gunfire overnight, and one person, whose affiliation is unclear, dies.
• May 18: Protests continue in several parts of Bujumbura, though they are smaller than in previous weeks. The military, for the first time, plays a role in suppressing them, but not all units participate.
• May 18: Nkurunziza spokesman Willy Nyamitwe states the government fully respects press freedom and condemns threats against journalists. Most radio stations are unable to broadcast, however, because of damage incurred during the coup attempt. Bujumbura’s mayor Juma Saidi makes a statement indicating protesters will be considered to be coup conspirators.
• May 18: Nkurunziza named Emmanuel Ntahonvukiye as his new defense minister and Alain Aime Nyamitwe as foreign minister, replacing Pontien Gaciyubwenge and Laurent Kavakure, respectively. Nkurunziza announces he would also replace his trade minister.
• May 18: The ICGLR heads of state meet and agree to undertake a trip to Burundi, but do not select a date. They also urge Burundi to postpone elections indefinitely.
• May 19: Protests continue with Burundian police using non-lethal crowd control methods.
• May 19: In a statement on facebook, Nkurunziza promises not to pursue revenge against coup plotters but vows that they will face justice in accordance with Burundi’s law.
• May 19: Shots are fired at the offices of the European Representative in Burundi.
• May 19: The number of refugees reaches 111,703. Twelve Burundian refugees die in Tanzania of cholera.
• May 19: Iwacu re-opens.
• May 19: Nkurunziza announces via twitter that he will address the nation on RTNB, but does not do so.
• May 19: The United proposes a cut in funding to Burundian soldiers in AMISOM.
• May 20: Protests continue in Bujumbura. Journalists report that they are blocked from entering Musaga, from which gunfire can be heard, and harassed by policemen.
• May 20: The government announces a plan to postpone legislative elections until early June, but plan to go ahead with presidential elections on June 26.
• May 20: A soldier is killed in unclear circumstances in Nyakabiga, though some reports allege he was shot by a policeman.
• May 20: Tom Malinowski and government spokesperson Willy Nyamitwe engage in a twitter exchange over the behavior of the Burundian government.
• May 20: In a televised address to the country, Nkurunziza asks for ethnic harmony and for refugees to return and pledges an enquiry into what happened at Bumerec hospital.
• May 20: Speaking to the BBC, Agathon Rwasa says he supports a street revolution over a coup, but if Nkurunziza does not leave he will be forced out.
• May 20: Belgium comes out against a third term for Nkurunziza.
• May 21: Heavy gunfire is reported overnight in Musaga. Protests continue in Bujumbura and two protesters die.
• May 21: MSF assesses refugees in Tanzania and deems it a “critical humanitarian situation”.
• May 21: Nkurunziza is pictured playing soccer.
• May 22: Two grenade attacks kill three people and injure 40 in a Bujumbura market.
• May 22: The US announces it will cease training for Burundian troops participating in UNPKO’s.
• May 23: Zedi Feruzi, the leader of the opposition UPD, is assassinated in Bujumbura.
• May 24: Ban Ki-moon condemns Feruzi’s assassination.
• May 24: Prominent activists announce they are suspending dialogue with the government following Feruzi’s death.
• May 24: ICGLR leaders condemn Feruzi’s assassination and other violence and call for an investigation into the assassination.
• May 25: Police kill one demonstrator and injure two others in Muyange, Buriri Province.
• May 25: Nkurunziza calls for an investigation into Feruzi’s death.
• May 25: The State Department releases a statement calling for an investigation into Feruzi’s death and respect for freedom of assembly.
• May 25: Agathon Rwasa says Burundi is not ready for elections in June.
• May 25: The Burundian government delays the Presidential election, scheduled for May 26, to June 6.
• May 26: The government appeals to the public to help elections.
• May 26: UNHCR slashes the number of Burundian refugees from over 100,000 to 72,618.
• May 26: France suspends security cooperation with Burundi.
• May 27: Burundi’s main opposition parties issued a joint statement saying fair election were impossible.
• May 27: The US releases $8m to Burundian refugees.
• May 28: A teenage protester is killed in Bujumbura.
• May 28: The EU withdraws its election observers.
• May 28: Burundi’s Roman Catholic Church says it can no longer support the elections and withdraws its officials from election-related work.
• May 28: UN Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng arrives in Burundi.
• May 29: FNL leader Agathon Rwasa says his party will boycott the national elections.
• May 29: Two separate grenade attacks happen in downtown Bujumbura, and one child is hurt. Police also kill a demonstrator in Buterere.
• May 29: UN Special Envoy Said Djinnit calls for restraint by all parties.
• May 30: The election commission’s (CENI) vice president, Spes Caritas Ndironkeye, resigns and flees the countries. Another member of CENI also flees.
• May 30: The State Department urges Burundi to postpone elections.
• May 30: Interior Minister Eduoard Nduwimana says elections will go ahead as planned.
• May 31: EAC Heads of State urge Burundi to delay elections.
• May 31: Adama Dieng urges all parties to engage in dialogue and appeals for calm.
• June 1: Nkurunziza warns that any future attempts to unseat him by force will fail.
• June 1: Burundi says it is open to postponing elections, but will wait for CENI’s decision.
• June 1: The United Nations disperses another $15m to Burundian refugees.
• June 2: The United States calls a potential third term for Nkurunziza unconstitutional.
• June 3: Burundi announces it will delay elections, but does not give concrete dates, saying they will happen by August.
• June 3: Burundi’s main opposition parties and civil society groups voice their support for the poll delay.
• June 5: Police kill a protester in Musaga.
• June 6: Agathon Rwasa says elections must be held by August, but that fair elections are unlikely.
• June 6: Protests and clashes take place in Butagazwa, Bujumbura Rural Province.
• June 7: The International Francophone Organization calls for a resumption of dialogue.
• June 8: Burundi’s government announces the Presidential election will be held July 15 and Parliamentary elections will happen June 26.
• June 8: A spokesperson for Burundi’s independent opposition rejects the new election timetable.
• June 8: The EU releases almost $4m to Burundian refugees.
• June 9: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein says he’s worried more violence could push Burundi over the edge.
• June 9: In a letter addressed to Ban Ki-moon, several Burundian civil society groups reject UN Special Envoy Said Djinnit as a neutral moderator.
• June 10: Police kill two demonstrators in Buyenzi.
• June 10: Several prominent opposition politicians, excluding Rwasa, call for a boycott of elections.
• June 11: UN Special Envoy Said Djinnit resigns as mediator in Burundi, but retains his positions.
• June 11: The government claims demonstrations are over, and the only ones remaining are organized by journalists.
• June 11: Agathon Rwasa announces he will boycott elections because they are unlikely to be free and fair.
• June 12: Rwasa sets conditions for his participation in the elections, saying if free media is restored and youths disarmed, he will submit his candidacy.
• June 12: Burundian singer Khadja Nin called on the international community to put more pressure on Nkurunziza to step aside.
• June 12: Rwandan Etienne Besabesa Mivumbu journalist, an employee of the Rwandan News Agency, is arrested. Burundian Interior Minister Eduoard Nduwimana says he lacked credentials, and was therefore arrested and charged with spying.
• June 13: The Burundian Parliament overwhelmingly approves Nkurunziza loyalists Annonciate Niyonkuru and Alice Nijimbere (both Tutsi) as new members of CENI. The opposition slams their induction.
• June 13: The head of the African Union Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, urges rivals to engage in dialogue in Burundi.
• June 14: Member states discuss Burundi at the African Union summit in South Africa.
• June 14: The Ugandan and Tanzanian Foreign Ministers arrive in Bujumbura.
• June 15: The African Union Peace and Security Council issues a communiqué on Burundi that proposes a series of consultations led by President Kikwete and three observer missions to Burundi (human rights, militia disarmament, and elections). The communiqué did not comment on the electoral timetable.
• June 15: Opposition figures welcome the AU’s recommendations.
• June 15: Burundi’s ambassador to Rwanda, Alexis Ntukamazina, says that the arrest of Rwandan journalist Etienne Besabesa Mivumbu is nothing to worry about and that, “This is a normal procedure in all countries.”
• June 16: In a meeting with EAC leaders in Bujumbura, Nkurunziza refuses to back down on a third term.
• June 16: Mostly American academics address a letter to John Kerry pushing for a rejuvenated Burundi policy.
• June 16: A grenade attack in Bubanza kills one suspected member of the Imbonerakure.
• June 17: Pierre Claver Mbonimpa, head of the Association for the Protection of Human Rights and Incarcerated Persons, says a nationwide survey has found that 77 people have been killed and about 500 wounded since protests began in April.
• June 17: A spokesperson for the Arusha movement calls for citizens to begin an economic boycott in order to damage the government’s tax revenue.
• June 17: Six gunmen, reportedly dressed in military fatigues, storm a bar in Gasibe, Matana, Buriri Province, killing the owner Leonidas Ndikumagenge. Ndikumagenge was a CNDD-FDD representative.
• June 18: The two new members of CENI, Vice President Annonciate Niyonkuru and Commissioner for Finance Alice Nijimbere, are sworn in.
• June 18: Former President Domitien Ndayizye says the crisis will become more serious if Nkurunziza does get a third term.
• June 18: The Burundian government says it agrees “in principle” to the deployment of AU military advisors.
• June 18: Three people are injured in a grenade attack in downtown Bujumbura.
• June 19: Rwasa says he does not support the creation of a transitional government, but he will not boycott upcoming elections.
• June 19: Rwandan journalist Etienne Besabesa Mivumbi, who was being detained by Burundi authorities on spying charges, is freed.
• June 20: Eleven policemen are injured by nighttime grenade attacks in Bujumbura.
• June 20: Another grenade attack targets a school in Bujumbura, wounding a 15-year-old.
• June 21: The UN appoints its Special Representative for Central Africa, Senegalese Abdoulaye Bathily, as chief mediator in Burundi.
• June 22: A grenade attack in a bar in Ngozi kills four and injures twenty-seven. A separate attack injured a police officer in Bujumbura while a third injured two people outside a bank in Kirundo.
• June 22: EU Foreign Ministers warn that they may impose sanctions on those responsible for violence in Burundi.
• June 23: The CNDD-FDD announces it will boycott renewed, UN-mediated peace talks.
• June 23: Zambian President Edgar Lungu says that bad governance is what has caused Burundians to flee into Zambia.
• June 24: Bob Rugurika says the international community must act to halt Burundi from descending into chaos, including a potential military intervention.
• June 25: Burundi’s second Vice President, CNDD-FDD member Gervais Rufyikiri, flees the country, saying a 3rd term for Nkurunziza would be unconstitutional and that he had been threatened. Burundi’s National Assembly Speaker Pie Ntavyohanyuma also flees to Belgium.
• June 25: Burundian students seeking to escape police, force their way onto the US Embassy grounds.
• June 26: Burundi’s ambassador to the UN Albert Shingiro says elections will go ahead as planned.
• June 26: Ban Ki-moon urges Burundian authorities to delay elections.
• June 26: Seventeen opposition parties, including FRODEBU, announce their intention to boycott elections.
• June 26: The number of refugees reaches 127,000.
• June 26: Two grenade attacks strike Bujumbura, but no one is hurt.
• June 27: In Ntega, unidentified attackers torch a polling station. They manage to escape despite soldiers firing shots.
• June 28: Two civilians and one soldier die in two separate grenade attacks in Bujumbura. The attacks happened in the Jade and Kanyosha neighborhoods.
• June 29: Burundi goes to the polls in parliamentary election, and at least in Bujumbura, turn out is somewhat low due to the opposition boycott and scattered attacks on polling stations.
• June 29: The State Department releases a statement expressing disappointment that the elections went ahead.
• June 30: The number of refugees reaches 144,000.
• June 30: The government announces it has finished counting votes, but does not immediately announce the results.
• June 30: A subsidiary of German steel company ThyssenKrupp buys the rights to Burundi’s rare earth minerals.
• July 1: In a clash in Bujumbura’s Cibitoke neighborhood, six are killed. One soldier died in the attack. Following a grenade attack on soldiers patrolling the neighborhood, soldiers killed five people in nearby houses. Three of them were a middle-aged father and his two teenage sons. Seven are injured in a separate grenade attack in Bujumbura.
• July 1: UNHCR announces it expects Burundian refugee numbers to reach between 250,000 and 500,000 due to the upcoming election.
• July 2: The UN declares that Burundi’s parliamentary elections were not free and fair.
• July 2: The State Department issues a statement urging further dialogue in Burundi. It also announces that it will suspend various forms of security assistance. This includes peacekeeping training, though the statement notes that the Burundian army has generally behaved humanely at protests.
• July 4: UNICEF releases a statement stressing the suffering of children in Burundi’s current crisis.
• July 5: The Burundian government rejects Abdoulaye Bathily as mediator, blaming him for the release of a UN report critical of the parliamentary elections.
• July 6: General Leonard Ngendakumana, a leader of the earlier failed coup attempt, states that force is the only way to oust Nkurunziza and he is working to organize and armed challenge to his government.
• July 6: EAC leaders meet in Dar Es Salaam, but Nkurunziza fails to attend, sending Foreign Minister Alain Aime Nyamitwe in his place. EAC asks Burundi to delay the polls, scheduled for July 15^th, by two weeks, to form a government of national unity, and disarm all armed groups.
• July 7: Election results are finally announced, with the CNDD-FDD winning 77 out of 100 Parliamentary seats.
• July 8: The US ambassador at-large for war crimes Stephen Rapp says that those in Burundi responsible for violence could face prosecution.
• July 9: United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid bin Ra’ad tells the UNSC that an explosion of violence could happen soon.
• July 9: The AU releases a statement reiterating its support of dialogue in Burundi.
• July 10: The government holds a conference to distribute the 21 seats it (or its allies) did not win in parliamentary elections because the candidate list presented by the opposition did not meet constitutional diversity requirements. The opposition boycotts the conference, so the government lets about half of the opposition candidates keep their seats, and distributes the rest to CNDD-FDD members.
• July 10: A large group of gunman, reportedly composed of several hundred men, clash with the army in Kayanza Province a few miles from the Rwandan border.
• July 10: The State Department releases a statement condemning the violence in Kayanza.
• July 11: The army and gunmen again clash in northern Burundi, but this time in Cibitoke Province. The army claims it killed twelve rebels, while rebel General Leonard Ngendakumana claims his forces took part in the fighting and that they inflicted losses on the army.
• July 11: During overnight unrest in Bujumbura, at least one person is shot dead by police following several grenade attacks.
• July 11: Following calls by EAC, Burundi postpones the Presidential election to July 21^st.
• July 12: The governor of Cibitoke Province claims the army has captured scores of rebels and killed some others.
• July 12: FRODEBU declares it will not take part in Presidential elections.
• July 13: Burundi’s military states that during the clashes in Kayanza and Cibitoke, the army killed 31 rebels and captured 170.
• July 13: A government spokesperson announces Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has taken over as the EAC’s mediator and will fly to Burundi Tuesday.
• July 13: The East African Civil Society Organizations’ Forum and a group of Burundian lawyers file a lawsuit that challenges the legality of President Pierre Nkurunziza’s attempt to win a third term.
• July 14: Museveni arrives in Burundi and begins mediating talks between the government and opposition.
• July 15: Museveni urges Burundians to put aside sectarian differences before departing the country without presiding over a deal between the government and opposition. Ugandan Defense Minister Crispus Kiyonga will arrive on the 16^th to lead negotiations.
• July 16: The UN Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights releases a statement by a group of experts warning about the potential for mass atrocities and recommending the Security Council take action.
• July 16: Vital Nshimirimana, the chief executive officer of the Forum for Strengthening the Civil Society, says Nkurunziza’s government has demonstrated bad faith in the ongoing peace talks.
• July 17: Burundi’s government confirms elections will be held on July 21^st despite calls for delays.
• July 17: Nkurunziza promises to deliver “five more years of peace” if he wins a third term.
• July 18: The government and opposition launch a new round of negotiations.
• July 19: The government fails to attend scheduled negotiations, and also failed to explain their absence. Crispus Kiyonga puts the talks on hold.
• July 20: Two people die in overnight violence. One is a policeman, and the other is an MSD activist found in the Nyakabiga neighborhood of Bujumbura.
• July 20: Doctors Without Borders releases a statement detailing how Nyarugusu refugee camp in Tanzania is struggling to deal with the influx of Burundian refugees. The camp was initially designed to hold 50,000 people, but now holds 78,000 Burundians and 64,000 Congolese.
• July 21: The Presidential election takes place.
• July 21: The State Department releases a statement arguing the election lack credibility.
• July 21: UNSG Ban Ki-moon calls for restraint from all sides
• July 22: Presidential spokesperson Willy Nyamitwe says Burundi should be congratulated for holding the election, and that some countries do not even hold elections.
• July 22: Foreign Minister Alain-Aime Nyamitwe criticizes Rwanda for sheltering rebel generals involved in the coup.
• July 22: Agathon Rwasa calls for a unity government and new elections within a year.
• July 22: Emmanuel Ndereyimana, an FNL member, is shot dead by attackers believed to be Imbonerakure in Kinama, Bujumbura.
• July 22: Amnesty International releases a report detailing police brutality in Burundi.
• July 23: US Ambassador to Burundi Dawn Liberi said the US would review its aid to Burundi over the next two months.
• July 23: In a statement, UNSG Ban Ki-moon calls the Presidential election “broadly peaceful” and recommends that the winner should form a unity government.
• July 24: CENI announces that Pierre Nkurunziza won the Presidential election with 69% of the vote. Agathon Rwasa won 18%.
• July 24: In a statement, Secretary of State John Kerry calls the election “deeply flawed” and encourages dialogue.
• July 25: Rwasa calls for new elections within a year and says he would not oppose the creation of a unity government.
• July 26: Vital Nshimirimana, the CEO of the Forum for Strengthening the Civil Society (FORSC), states that Nkurunziza should not have a place in a unity government.
• July 27: Burundi’s new National Assembly has its inaugural session. While Agathon Rwasa and 20 members of the FNL took their seats in parliament, UPRONA, FNL’s coalition partner, refused to do likewise.
• July 27: MENUB, the UN’s electoral monitoring mission in Burundi, states that conditions in Burundi around the election were not conducive to free and fair elections.
• July 28: The CNDD-FDD asked the EAC to understand the need for a constitutional amendment to create a government of national unity.
• July 30: Agathon Rwasa is elected as the National Assembly’s Vice President.
• July 30: In a televised speech, President Nkurunziza urges unity, saying he will be President of all Burundians.
• July 30: The European Union releases a further €4.5 million to aid Burundi refugees.
• July 31: In Ruvyagira, gunmen wearing military uniforms kill two, including the Direct of the Ruvyagira Secondary School.
• August 2: General Adolphe Nshimirimana, who headed President Nkurunziza’s personal security, is assassinated by attackers wearing military fatigues in his home neighborhood of Kamenge in Bujumbura.
• August 2: Following the assassination, both the AU and the US urge calm.
• August 2: A Burundian journalist working for AFP and RFI is detained at the scene of the assassination by members of the National Intelligence Service, beaten for two hours, and then released.
• August 2: Three separate attacks, one in Cibitoke, one in Bubanza, and one in Bujumbura’s Buringa neighborhood leaves three police officers and two civilians dead.
• August 3: APRODH President and prominent human rights activist Pierre-Claver Mbonimpa is seriously wounded in an assassination attempt in Bujumbura.
• August 3: The President of the CNDD-FDD in Kanyosha is attacked by a crowd in Bujumbura, and then shot and killed, allegedly by individuals in military fatigues.
• August 4: The UNSG Ban Ki-moon releases a statement condemning the assassination attempt on Mbonimpa.
• August 5: Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni tells UNSG Ban Ki-moon that Defense Minister Crispus Kioynga will return to Burundi to mediate talks, but doesn’t specify a date.
• August 6: HRW releases a report about abuses committed against prisoners in police custody.
• August 6: Two bodies, showing signs of torture, are discovered in a gutter in Buterere.
• August 6: Two Congolese refugees are killed in Cibitoke and a cab driver is injured. Witnesses say the two were buying phone cards, but were stopped by police. After handing over their identification documents, they were both shot.
• August 6: US Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Tom Periello expresses grave concern about the situation in Burundi and voices his support for renewed dialogue.
• August 7: Michael Forst, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, says Burundi needs to do more to protect activists like Pierre-Claver Mbonimpa from future attacks.
• August 7: A 5.6 magnitude earthquake strikes Burundi and neighboring countries, but no casualties were reported in Burundi.
• August 9: Burundi’s prosecutor state states that some of the killers of Adolphe Nshimiriamana have been captured, but others, including the masterminds, remain at large.
• August 9: Hundreds of mourners dressed in black hold a vigil for Adolphe Nshimirimana in his home neighborhood of Kamenge in Bujumbura.
• August 9: Pierre-Claver Mbonimpa leaves Burundi to seek medical treatment in Belgium.
• August 9: Heavy fighting erupts in Bujumbura’s Jabe and Cibitoke neighborhoods Sunday night and early Monday morning. At least one police officer is injured in the clashes.
• August 10: The UNSC meets and demands that the government reopen negotiations with the opposition.
• August 11: Exiled Burundian television presenter and radio journalist Pamela Kazekare forms the political movement Komezamahoro.
• August 11: Two Rwandans, Joseph Mbonyinshuti and Aimé Nkundabatware, are arrested by Burundian authorities at the border on charges of espionage.
• August 11: After former Vice President Gervais Rufyikiri turned down the position, the new opposition coalition CNARED announce CNDD leader, and CNDD-FDD founder, Leonard Nyangoma as its chairman.
• August 11: The Burundian government voices its support for the UNSC’s recommendation to resume dialogue.
• August 12: Envoys from the US, Belgium, AU, EU, and UN say that Burundi is undermining the Arusha Accords.
• August 13: The CNDD-FDD declares Nkurunziza’s victory in the Presidential election was a “miracle”.
• August 13: CNARED Chairman Leonard Nyangoma states that Nkurunziza has “declared war” on Burundians.
• August 13: Nkurunziza condemns the attack on RFI and AFP journalist Esdras Ndikumana.
• August 14: The office of the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights warns that the situation in Burundi could “spiral out of control.
• August 14: Tanzania issues an Ebola alert in response to a Burundian refugees dies after experiencing symptoms similar to Ebola in Nyarugusu refugee camp.
• August 15: Colonel Jean Bikomagu, who led the government’s armed forces during Burundi’s civil war, is assassinated outside his home. His daughter is seriously wounded, and later moved hospitals because suspicious individuals tried to force their way to her hospital bed.
• August 16: The African Union warns that “catastrophic consequences” could result if the crisis is not resolved peacefully.
• August 16: Foreign Minister Alain Nyamitwe states that the government for Nkurunziza’s third term will include members of the political opposition.
• August 17: UNSG Ban Ki-moon condemns the assassination of Jean Bikomagu.
• August 18: Four supporters of the CNDD-FDD are killed in a bar in Bujumbura’s Musaga neighborhood.
• August 20: In a surprise ceremony, President Nkurunziza is sworn in for a third term. No heads of state are present for the inauguration. Nkurunziza says he, with the help of God, will end the crisis within two months.
• August 20: The US State Department releases a statement stressing the need for dialogue between the government and the opposition.
• August 21: CNARED chairman Leonard Nyangoma says that Nkurunziza has until August 26^th to step down. Well he says CNARED is open to dialogue, he also implies that violence may be necessary in the future.
• August 21: Foreign Minister Alain Nyamitwe says that in order to form a unity government, Nkurunziza would review article 129 of the constitution, which sets quotas for ethnic power-sharing and the percentile threshold for parties to receive seats in the legislature.
• August 21: Botswana President Ian Khama criticizes Nkurunziza for seeking a third term.
• August 22: More than thirty Rwandans traveling into Burundi are detained by Burundian security forces, leading the Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs Louise Mushikiwabo to announce that she has raised the issue with Burundi’s government.
• August 23: FNL member Pontian Barutwanayo is assassinated in a bar in Isale. Barutwanayo was the administrator of Isale commune, and the only administrator in the country to be an FNL member.
• August 24: Amnesty International releases a report on the use of torture against members of the political opposition.

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