Former Burundi Vice President Gervais Rufyikiri has returned to the country after nearly nine years in exile. Rufyikiri fled Burundi in 2015 amid the political crisis triggered by then-President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision to seek a controversial third term in office. At the time, Rufyikiri, who was serving as second vice president, opposed Nkurunziza’s bid and fled the country as violence escalated.
“It is with joy that we see the sons and daughters of the country return home freely,” President Evariste Ndayishimiye’s spokesperson, Gatoni Guilene, wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The 2015 crisis was sparked by divisions within the ruling CNDD-FDD party over Nkurunziza’s third-term bid, leading to violent protests that resulted in hundreds of deaths and forced thousands to flee, including Rufyikiri.
Local sources indicate that Rufyikiri’s return is linked to attending his mother’s funeral.
In 2020, Rufyikiri was appointed senior advisor to the International Institute for Human Security. He is also a fellow at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) and an independent consultant on issues related to peacebuilding, governance, democracy, and economic development.
It remains unclear whether Rufyikiri’s return signals a return to the political arena or is solely for personal reasons. However, experts suggest that his meeting with President Ndayishimiye, just months before the country’s parliamentary elections, could send mixed signals.
