Ntare V of Burundi

Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox royalty Ntare V of Burundi (born Charles Ndizeye; 2 December 1947 – 29 April 1972), less commonly numbered Ntare III,Template:Sfn was the last king (mwami) of Burundi, reigning from July to November 1966. Until his accession, he was known as Crown Prince Charles Ndizeye.

He seized power in July 1966 by deposing his own father. He reigned until November, when prime minister Michel Micombero overthrew him, ending the Burundian monarchy. He went into exile but returned in 1972, only to be swiftly arrested by the republican government. Later that year, during a period of mass violence called the "Ikiza", he was killed under unclear circumstances.

Early life

Charles Ndizeye was the son of King Mwambutsa IV (1912–1977)Template:Sfn and Queen Baramparaye Ruhasha (1929–2007). He had one half-brother (Prince Louis Rwagasore, assassinated 1961 whilst prime minister), and two half-sisters: Princess Rosa Paula Iribagiza (born 1934) and Princess Regina Kanyange (died 1987). Ndizeye was educated at Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland.Template:Citation needed

Ascension and rule

File:Crowning of Ntare V in Burundi.webm

After a Hutu-led coup attempt in October 1965, Mwambutsa IV went into exile in Switzerland, while Prime Minister Léopold Biha was hospitalized. Though the monarch attempted to rule from abroad, this effectively left Burundi without a state head. The country was also heavily affected by the coup's aftermath, as Tutsi officers under Michel Micombero purged the security forces and political leadership of Hutu figures.Template:Sfn In March 1966, Mwambusta IV designated Charles Ndizeye, his only surviving son, as heir apparent and entrusted him with overseeing Burundi's government.Template:Sfn<ref name="Crowder1984">Template:Cite book</ref> The Crown Prince then formally deposed his father and his father's government in July 1966. On 8 July, Ndizeye declared the dismissal of Prime Minister Biha and the suspension of the constitution. The following day he asked Micombero to form a government. On 12 July Micombero presented his government to the prince with himself as Prime Minister and Minister of Defence.Template:Sfn Ndizeye was formally crowned as mwami on 3 September, taking the regnal name Ntare V.<ref>Template:In lang Le Monde (3 September 1966): "Le prince Charles Ndizeye est proclamé roi".</ref>

The cooperation between Ntare V and Micombero was short-lived.Template:Sfn Tensions between the soldiers in the government and the monarchy emerged in August and led to a reshuffling of the cabinet in September. On 7 November Ntare V attempted to broadcast a decree dismissing Micombero's government, but was turned away from the radio station by soldiers. Three weeks later, Ntare V was in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on a state visit,Template:Sfn celebrating the takeover of Mobutu Sese Seko. On 28 November, the king heard over radio that Micombero had led a military coup d'état, abolishing the monarchy and proclaiming Burundi a republic with himself as its first President.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Overall, Ntare V had the shortest rule of any Burundian mwami.Template:Sfn

Ntare V went into exile in West Germany Template:Cn and later Uganda. Meanwhile, Micombero's regime had to contend with various forms of resistance and conducted a series of purges. As time went on, the government's support base became increasingly narrow, and it marginalized not just Hutu but also certain Tutsi sub-groups like the Banyaruguru. In 1971, a group of Tutsi figures were arrested over an alleged plot to restore the monarchy.Template:Sfn

Execution

Template:See also Ntare V returned to Burundi in March 1972. Ugandan President Idi Amin claimed he received a written guarantee from President Micombero that Ntare could return to Burundi and live there as a private citizen. Using the helicopter at his disposal from Amin, Ntare arrived. Within a few hours he was put under house arrest in the former palace in Gitega.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Soon after, an official radio broadcast proclaimed that Ntare was trying to instigate a mercenary invasion of Burundi to take back rule.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Whether the former monarch had really intended to peacefully return or actually plotted a takeover, as Micombero's government alleged, remains unclear. Some ministers favored keeping him under restricted protection in Gitega, while others wanted him dead. As the government discussed its next moves, Ntare remained under house arrest in Gitega.Template:Sfn

On 29 April, Hutu rebels began an uprising against the Burundian government. Around the same time, Micombero dismissed his entire cabinet. At the evening of the same day, Ntare was assassinated by Burundian soldiers under circumstances which remain unclear.Template:Sfn Whether there was a conspiracy or his death involved a spontaneous outbreak of violence in Gitega has not been determined.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Researcher Nigel Watt argued that Ntare's murder was motivated by the Burundian government's fear that monarchists might support the Hutu rebellion;Template:Sfn by the time of his death, the former mwami was seen as a champion of the interests of both Hutu as well as Tutsi-Banyaruguru marginalized by Micombero.Template:Sfn Radio Nationale du Burundi (RNB Broadcasting) announced that the king was shot while attempting to escape from the palace where he had been "under arrest". The king's supporters claim he was taken from the Royal Palace and executed by a firing squad before being thrown into a common grave. The king was 24 years old. Meanwhile, the Hutu uprising was quelled by Micombero's forces. Between 80,000 and 210,000 people died in the ensuing mass killings.<ref name="white">White, Matthew. Death Tolls for the Major Wars and Atrocities of the Twentieth Century: C. Burundi (1972-73, primarily Hutu killed by Tutsi) 120,000</ref><ref name=ICIBFR-85>International Commission of Inquiry for Burundi (2002). Paragraph 85. "The Micombero regime responded with a genocidal repression that is estimated to have caused over a hundred thousand victims and forced several hundred thousand Hutus into exile"</ref>

Distinctions

National orders

Grand Master of the Royal Order of Prince Louis Rwagasore.Template:Citation needed
Grand Master of the Royal Order of Rukinzo (Royal Male Drum).Template:Citation needed
Grand Master of the Royal Order of Karyenda (Royal Female Drum).Template:Citation needed
Grand Master of the Military Order of Karyenda (Royal Female Drum).Template:Citation needed