Cyriaque Simbizi (died 6 April 1994) was a Burundian Minister of

Communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inqui ...

who was assassinated in a plane shootdown.

Early life

Cyriaque Simbizi originated from

Cankuzo Province Cankuzo Province is one of the 18 provinces of Burundi. Located in the eastern part of the country, the province covers an area of 1,965 km. The provincial capital is Cankuzo. It is Burundi's least populated province. Communes Cankuzo Provi ...

, Burundi. Ethnically, he was

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 ...

Political career

Simbizi was originally a member of the Union pour le Progrès national (UPRONA), but switched his party affiliation to the Front pour la Démocratie au Burundi (FRODEBU) on 2 January 1994.

Death

On 6 April 1994 Burundian President

Cyprien Ntaryamira Cyprien Ntaryamira (6 March 1955 – 6 April 1994) was a Burundian politician who served as President of Burundi from 5 February 1994 until his death two months later. A Hutu born in Burundi, Ntaryamira studied there before fleeing to Rwanda ...

attended a regional summit in Dar es Salaam. Once the summit was over, Ntaryamira reportedly asked Rwandan President

Juvénal Habyarimana Juvénal Habyarimana (, ; 8 March 19376 April 1994) was a Rwandan politician and military officer who served as the second president of Rwanda, from 1973 until 1994. He was nicknamed ''Kinani'', a Kinyarwanda word meaning "invincible". An ethn ...

if he could be taken home aboard the Rwandan

Dassault Falcon 50 The Dassault Falcon 50 is a French super-midsize, long-range business jet, featuring a trijet layout with an S-duct air intake for the central engine. It has the same fuselage cross-section and similar capacity as the earlier twin-engined Falcon ...

presidential jet, which was faster than his own propeller-driven plane. Habyarimana agreed and allowed Ntaryamira to accompany him along with two of his ministers, Simbizi and

Bernard Ciza Bernard Ciza (died 6 April 1994) was a Burundian politician. Originating from Bururi Province, he became a leading member of the Front for Democracy in Burundi, Front pour la Démocratie au Burundi (FRODEBU) and in 1993 became Deputy Prime Minist ...

. At 8:23 PM as the jet was approaching

Kigali International Airport Kigali International Airport , formerly known as Kanombe International Airport, is the primary airport serving Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. Currently, there is an ongoing project to build another mega-airport in Bugesera District, Eastern Pro ...

, two surface-to-air rockets were fired, with the second missile striking it. The plane crashed, killing all aboard. Simbizi was buried in Bujumbura in a state funeral on 16 April alongside Ntaryamira and Ciza.

References

Works cited

* * * Tutsi people Communications ministers of Burundi 1994 deaths Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Africa People murdered in Rwanda Victims of aircraft shootdowns 1990s murders in Rwanda 1994 crimes in Rwanda 1994 murders in Africa Year of birth missing Front for Democracy in Burundi politicians Union for National Progress politicians Burundian people murdered abroad {{Burundi-politician-stub