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Pierre Nkurunziza
(1963 - 2020)
Nkurunziza was a Burundian politician who served
as the 9th President of Burundi for almost 15 years
from 2005 until his death in 2020.
In 2015, Nkurunziza was controversially nominated
by his party for a third term in office. On 13 May 2015,
a coup attempt against Nkurunziza occured while he
was out of the country. Facing resistance from
Nkurunziza loyalists, the coup collapsed, and many
opponents fled, joining an exodus of more
than 400,000 Burundians.
Nkurunziza was re-elected for a third term in the
July 2015 presidential election. He died unexpectedly
on 8 June 2020 after suffering a cardiac arrest. He
was the longest-ruling president in Burundian history.
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