Ntare V of Burundi (born Charles Ndizeye; 2 December 1947 – 29 April 1972) was the last
king of Burundi
This article contains two versions of the list of kings of Burundi, the traditional version before 1680 and the modern genealogy. The Kingdom of Burundi was ruled by sovereigns, titled '' mwami'' (plural ''abami''), whose regnal names followed a ...
(or ''
mwami
''Mwami'' () is an honorific title common in parts of Central and East Africa. The title means ''chief'' or ''tribal chief'' in several Bantu languages. It was historically used by kings in several African nations, and is still used for traditi ...
''), reigning from July to November 1966. Until his accession, he was known as Crown Prince Charles Ndizeye.
Early life
Charles Ndizeye was the son of King
Mwambutsa IV (1912–1977) and Queen Baramparaye Ruhasha (1929–2007). He had one half-brother (Prince
Louis Rwagasore
Louis Rwagasore ( rn, Ludoviko Rwagasore, italics=no; 10 January 1932 – 13 October 1961) was a Burundian prince and politician, who served as the second prime minister of Burundi for two weeks, from 28 September 1961 until his assassination on ...
, assassinated 1961 whilst prime minister), and two half-sisters: Princess
Rosa Paula Iribagiza (born 1934) and Princess Regina Kanyange (died 1987). Ndizeye was educated at
Institut Le Rosey
Institut Le Rosey (), commonly referred to as Le Rosey or simply Rosey, is a private boarding school in Rolle, Switzerland. Founded in 1880 by Paul-Émile Carnal on the site of the 14th-century Château du Rosey in the town of Rolle in the canto ...
in Switzerland.
Rule
After
a Hutu-led coup attempt in October 1965, Mwambutsa IV went into exile in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. In March 1966, Mwambusta IV designated his only surviving son as heir to the throne.
The Crown Prince then formally
deposed his father and his father's government in July 1966. He was formally crowned on 3 September, taking the regnal name Ntare V. King Ntare himself was deposed, later the same year, in
a military coup led by
Michel Micombero
Michel Micombero (26 August 194016 July 1983) was a Burundian politician and army officer who ruled the country as ''de facto'' military dictator for the decade between 1966 and 1976. He was the last Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Burundi fro ...
; the former king went into exile in
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
and later
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
. He tried to return to Burundi in 1972 but was assassinated shortly afterwards.
Execution
![Ikigabiro du roi Ntare V Ndizeye](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Ikigabiro_du_roi_Ntare_V_Ndizeye.jpg)
Ntare V returned to Burundi in March 1972. Soon afterwards the
Hutu
The Hutu (), also known as the Abahutu, are a Bantu ethnic or social group which is native to the African Great Lakes region. They mainly live in Rwanda, Burundi and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they form one of the prin ...
s began an uprising against the government and established the short-lived state of
Martyazo
The Republic of Martyazo (french: République de Martyazo) was a short-lived secessionist state proclaimed by Hutu rebels at Vyanda in Burundi at the province of Makamba in the early May 1972 during the genocidal violence of 1972 as a bid to ...
.
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
n
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
,
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada Oumee (, ; 16 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. He ruled as a military dictator and is considered one of the most brutal despots in modern w ...
, claimed he received a written guarantee from President Micombero that Ntare could return to Burundi and live there as a private citizen. Using the helicopter at his disposal from Amin, Ntare arrived. Within a few hours he was put under house arrest in the former palace in
Gitega
Gitega (), formerly Kitega, is the political capital of Burundi. Located in the centre of the country, in the Burundian central plateau roughly east of Bujumbura (the largest city and former political capital), Gitega (the second largest city) ...
. Soon after, an official radio broadcast proclaimed that Ntare was trying to instigate a
mercenary
A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...
invasion of Burundi to take back rule. Some ministers favored keeping him under restricted protection in Gitega, while others wanted him dead. The situation was unofficially resolved when Ntare was assassinated sometime between Saturday evening, 29 April, and the following morning, under circumstances which remain unclear.
Whether there was a conspiracy or his death involved with a violent spontaneous outbreak in Gitega has not been determined.
Radio Nationale du Burundi (RNB Broadcasting) announced that the king was shot while attempting to escape from the palace where he had been "under arrest". The king's supporters claim he was taken from the Royal Palace and executed by a firing squad before being thrown into a common grave. The king was 24 years old. Meanwhile, the Hutu uprising was quelled by Micombero's forces. Between 80,000 and 210,000 people died in the ensuing
war and genocide
War and genocide studies is an interdisciplinary subject that identifies and analyzes the relationship between war and genocide, as well as the structural foundations of associated conflicts. Disciplines involved may include political science, geo ...
.
[White, Matthew]
Death Tolls for the Major Wars and Atrocities of the Twentieth Century: C. Burundi (1972-73, primarily Hutu killed by Tutsi) 120,000
/ref>[International Commission of Inquiry for Burundi (2002). Paragraph 85. "The Micombero regime responded with a genocidal repression that is estimated to have caused over a hundred thousand victims and forced several hundred thousand Hutus into exile"]
Distinctions
National orders
*
Grand Master of the Royal Order of Prince Louis Rwagasore.
*
Grand Master of the Royal Order of Ruzinko (Royal Male Drum).
*
Grand Master of the Royal Order of Karyenda (Royal Female Drum).
*
Grand Master of the Military Order of Karyenda (Royal Female Drum).
Ancestry
References
External links
Monarchiste
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ntare 05 Of Burundi
1947 births
1972 deaths
Burundian kings
Leaders who took power by coup
Leaders ousted by a coup
Assassinated Burundian politicians
Deaths by firearm in Burundi
People murdered in Burundi
Alumni of Institut Le Rosey
People who died in the Ikiza