Cyriaque Simbizi (died 6 April 1994) was a Burundian Minister of Communication who was assassinated in a plane shootdown.

Cyriaque Simbizi
Personal details
BornBurundi
Died6 April 1994
Kigali, Rwanda
Political partyFront pour la Démocratie au Burundi (FRODEBU)

Early life

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Cyriaque Simbizi originated from Cankuzo Province, Burundi. Ethnically, he was Tutsi.[1]

Political career

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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.[2]

Death

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On 6 April 1994 Burundian President Cyprien Ntaryamira attended a regional summit in Dar es Salaam. Once the summit was over, Ntaryamira reportedly asked Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana if he could be taken home aboard the Rwandan Dassault Falcon 50 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. At 8:23 PM as the jet was approaching Kigali International Airport, two surface-to-air rockets were fired, with the second missile striking it. The plane crashed, killing all aboard.[3] Simbizi was buried in Bujumbura in a state funeral on 16 April alongside Ntaryamira and Ciza.[4][5]

References

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  1. ^ Guichaoua 1995, p. 738.
  2. ^ Ntibantunganya 1999, p. 15.
  3. ^ Melvern 2000, p. 115.
  4. ^ "Le Couple Présidentiel dépose une gerbe de fleurs au mausolée de feu Président Cyprien NTARYAMIRA". Présidence de la République du Burundi (in French). Ntare Rushatsi House. 6 April 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  5. ^ "It is like the mayhem has gathered pace...' : Rwandan army killing, raping and looting". The Kingston Whig-Standard. Reuters. 18 April 1994. p. 13.

Works cited

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