Military Committee for National Salvation

In September 1987, Major Pierre Buyoya overthrew Burundi's Second Republic, establishing the Third Republic and a 30-member military junta known as the Military Committee for National Salvation. This military junta ruled the country. Buyoya's policies aimed to ease church-state relations and address the Hutu-Tutsi ethnic tensions. Despite efforts to achieve ethnic parity in government, violence erupted in August 1988, resulting in over 20,000 deaths, predominantly Hutu. Buyoya responded with a conciliatory approach, recognizing the Hutu-Tutsi problem and forming a cabinet with a Hutu majority. A new constitution was adopted in 1992, promoting ethnic unity in political parties. However, the assassination of President Melchior Ndadaye in 1993 triggered a civil war, leading to significant loss of life and further political instability, including subsequent coups and power-sharing governments.123