FRANCOIS NGEZE

François Ngeze, born in 1953 in the Isare commune of the Rutegama colline in Ruanda-Urundi, is Burundian retired politician, known for his brief yet significant role in the country's tumultuous history. A Hutu by ethnicity, Ngeze's early life was marked by the violent repression against the Hutu population in 1972. As a student in Burengo, he was arrested and imprisoned by the authorities during this period of intense anti-Hutu violence. However, through the intervention of a family friend, Basile Gateretse, he managed to escape imprisonment and flee to Zaire, and later to Rwanda. There, Ngeze pursued his education, earning a university degree in pedagogy and becoming a teacher at Saint Léon Minor Seminary of Kabgayi. He also started a family, fathering six children.

In 1982, Ngeze returned to Burundi and embarked on a political career by joining the Union for National Progress (UPRONA), a party in which he was one of the few prominent Hutu members. His political acumen and dedication saw him rise through the ranks, eventually becoming the Governor of Cankuzo Province in 1989 and later Governor of Bujumbura Rural Province. His most notable achievement during this period was his appointment as Minister of Interior in 1992, becoming the first Hutu to hold the position in two decades.

Ngeze's political career reached its zenith in October 1993 when he was selected by the military Committee of Public Salvation as the acting head of state of Burundi, following the coup that overthrew the democratically elected government of President Melchior Ndadaye. Although his tenure as head of state lasted only from October 21 to October 27, 1993, it was a critical moment in Burundian history, as the coup attempt and subsequent events plunged the country into a period of widespread unrest and violence. The coup was widely condemned, leading to the dissolution of the Committee of Public Salvation and the restoration of civilian leadership under Prime Minister Sylvie Kinigi, who took over as acting president.

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Ngeze