Emmanuel Niyonkuru (20 July 1962 – 1 January 2017) was a Burundian politician.

Emmanuel Niyonkuru
Minister of Water, Environment, Spatial Planning and Urban Development
In office
24 August 2015 – 1 January 2017
Personal details
Born(1962-07-20)20 July 1962
Commune of Rutegama, Burundi
Died1 January 2017(2017-01-01) (aged 54)
Bujumbura, Burundi
Manner of deathAssassination
Alma materUniversity of Burundi

Life

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Niyonkuru gained his higher education at the Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences at the University of Burundi from 1987 to 1991.[1]

Later Niyonkuru followed a career in the banking industry. From 1992 to 2015, he worked as the deputy director of Bank of the Republic of Burundi (BRB). Niyonkuru was also elected to the Burundian Senate, representing the district of Muramvya for the 2015 to 2020 term.[1]

In 2015, he was appointed to Burundi's Council of Ministers by Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza, in charge of water, environment, spatial planning and urban development.

Death

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In 2017, as part of the political unrest in Burundi, Niyonkuru was assassinated by gunshot around midnight while on his way home to Rohero, a suburb in the then-capital city of Bujumbura, according to police.[2] Six people, who are believed to be from Rwanda, were arrested in connection to the assassination. Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza, stated that the crime would not go unpunished.[3][4] Niyonkuru's assassination is one of many attacks against public faces of Nkurunziza's administration.[5] He was buried at Mpanda in neighbouring Tanzania.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Niyonkuru, Burundi minister assassinated". Daily Post Nigeria. 1 January 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  2. ^ "Burundi: Le Ministre de l'environnement assassiné par balles". 20 minutes (in French). 1 January 2017.
  3. ^ "Niyonkuru, Burundi minister assassinated". News Agency of Nigeria. 1 January 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  4. ^ "Burundi minister assassinated in Bujumbura". France 24. 1 January 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  5. ^ "Burundi Arrests Six People Over Minister's Killing". Africa News. 8 January 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  6. ^ "Burundian Environment Minister Buried at Mpanda cemetery". Iwacu English News. 10 January 2017.