Bernard Busokoza (born August 6, 1953) is a Burundi

Tutsi The Tutsi (), or Abatutsi (), are an ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region. They are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group and the second largest of three main ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi (the other two being the largest Bantu ethnic grou ...

politician who served as the Vice President of Burundi from October 2013 to February 1, 2014.

Early life and education

Busokoza was born on August 6, 1953 in Mugamba Commune, Bururi Province, Burundi. In 1974, he graduated from the

University of Burundi The University of Burundi (french: Université du Burundi, or UB) is a public university located in Bujumbura, Burundi. Founded in 1964, it comprises eight faculties and five institutes and has a student enrollment of approximately 13,000. It is ...

with a degree in economics.

Business career

Busokoza has held various senior positions across the country in the telecommunications field. He was vice chairman of the Board of Directors of Meridien Biao Bank from 1988 until 1991. And From 1996–1999, he was CEO of

Africell Africell Group is a mobile technology company providing voice, messaging, data, mobile money and other integrated telecoms services to over 16 million subscribers across Africa. Company overview Africell was founded in 2001. It has US ownershi ...

Burundi. He is currently the Vice-President of Africell's board.

Vice Presidency

In October 2013, Therence Sinunguruza resigned as vice president and Busokoza assumed the position.

Sacking

On February 1, 2014, after Busokoza opposed his plans to scrap presidential term limits,

Pierre Nkurunziza Pierre Nkurunziza (18 December 19648 June 2020) was a Burundian politician who served as the ninth president of Burundi for almost 15 years from August 2005 until his death in June 2020. A member of the Hutu ethnic group, Nkurunziza taught ph ...

, the

President of Burundi The president of Burundi, officially the President of the Republic ( French: ''Président de la République''), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Burundi. The president is also commander-in-chief of the National Def ...

, decided to dismiss Busokoza, sparking a major political crisis in Burundi. Some even compared the crisis to the

South Sudanese Civil War The South Sudanese Civil War was a multi-sided civil war in South Sudan between forces of the government and opposition forces. In December 2013, President Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar and ten others of attempting a coup d'état. ...

. On 19 October 2020 the

Supreme Court of Burundi The Supreme Court (french: Cour Suprême) is the highest civil and criminal court in Burundi. It has nine members, including the Court President, who are nominated by the Judicial Service Commission and appointed by the President of the Republic ...

sentenced Busokoza and 18 others to prison for involvement in the 1993 coup attempt and murder of President

Melchior Ndadaye Melchior Ndadaye (28 March 1953 – 21 October 1993) was a Burundian intellectual and politician. He was the first democratically elected and first Hutu president of Burundi after winning the landmark 1993 Burundi presidential election, 1993 elect ...

Personal life

Busokoza is a father of 6 children. He practices

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Busokoza, Bernard Vice-presidents of Burundi Living people 1953 births University of Burundi alumni Tutsi people