Emmanuel Niyonkuru (20 July 1962 – 1 January 2017) was a

Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...

an politician.

Life

Niyonkuru gained his higher education at the Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences at 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 ...

from 1987 to 1991. Later Niyonkuru followed a career in the banking industry. From 1992 to 2015, he worked as the deputy director of

Bank of the Republic of Burundi The Bank of the Republic of Burundi (french: Banque de la République du Burundi, BRB) is the central bank of Burundi. The bank was established in 1966 and its offices are in Bujumbura. The Bank is active in promoting financial inclusion policy ...

(BRB). Niyonkuru was also elected to the Burundian

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, representing the district of

Muramvya Muramvya is a city located in central Burundi. It is the capital city of Muramvya Province Muramvya Province is one of the 18 provinces of Burundi. The capital city is Muramvya. In 2007 the province was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tenta ...

for the 2015 to 2020 term. In 2015, he was appointed to Burundi's

Council of Ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

by Burundian President

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 ...

, in charge of water, environment, spatial planning and urban development.

Death

In 2017, as part of the political unrest in Burundi, Niyonkuru was assassinated by gunshot around midnight while on his way home to Rohero, a suburb in the then-capital city of

Bujumbura Bujumbura (; ), formerly Usumbura, is the economic capital, largest city and main port of Burundi. It ships most of the country's chief export, coffee, as well as cotton and tin ore. Bujumbura was formerly the country's normal capital. In late ...

, according to police. Six people, who are believed to be from Rwanda, were arrested in connection to the assassination. Burundian President

, stated that the crime would not go unpunished. Niyonkuru's assassination is one of many attacks against public faces of Nkurunziza's administration. He was buried at

Mpanda Mpanda is a city in Katavi Region of Tanzania, East Africa with a postcode number 50100. It is the administrative centre of Katavi Region, Mpanda District and is itself one of the four districts of the region. Mpanda is a "frontier town" in the ...

in neighbouring Tanzania.

References

1962 births 2017 deaths Assassinated government ministers in Africa Government ministers of Burundi Assassinated Burundian politicians People from Muramvya Province Deaths by firearm in Burundi 2017 murders in Africa 21st-century politicians Members of the Senate (Burundi) University of Burundi alumni African politicians assassinated in the 2010s Politicians assassinated in 2017 {{Burundi-politician-stub