Pierre Ngendandumwe


Pierre Ngendandumwe was a Burundian political figure. He was a member of the Union for National Progress and was an ethnic Hutu. On 18 June 1963, about a year after Burundi gained independence and amidst efforts to bring about political cooperation between Hutus and the dominant minority Tutsis, Ngendandumwe became Burundi's first Hutu prime minister. He served as prime minister until 6 April 1964 and then became prime minister again on 7 January 1965, serving until his death. Just 8 days after beginning his second term, he was assassinated by a Rwandan Tutsi refugee who is believed to have been employed at the American embassy in Burundi. The assassination led to a renewed escalation of unrest between Tutsis and Hutus. His Hutu successor, Joseph Bamina was assassinated on 15 December 1965 by Tutsi soldiers, following another coup attempt.