Michel Micombero | |
|---|---|
 Micombero as prime minister in 1966, at the coronation ceremony of King Ntare V | |
| 1st President of Burundi | |
| In office 28 November 1966 – 1 November 1976 | |
| Prime Minister | Albin Nyamoya (1972–73), then position abolished |
| Preceded by | Ntare V, as king Himself, as prime minister |
| Succeeded by | Jean-Baptiste Bagaza |
| 8th Prime Minister of Burundi | |
| In office 11 July 1966 – 28 November 1966 | |
| Monarch | Ntare V |
| Preceded by | Léopold Biha |
| Succeeded by | Himself, as president |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 August 1940 Rutovu, Ruanda-Urundi (modern-day Burundi) |
| Died | 16 July 1983 (aged 42)[a] Mogadishu, Somalia |
| Political party | Union for National Progress (UPRONA) |
| Spouse |
Adèle Nzeyimana (m. 1965) |
| Alma mater | Royal Military Academy Somali National University |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Burundi (1962–1966) Republic of Burundi (1966–1976) |
| Branch/service | Burundi Army |
| Years of service | 1962–1976 |
Michel Micombero (26 August 1940 – 16 July 1983) was a Burundian military officer and politician who ruled the country as de facto military dictator for the decade between 1966 and 1976. He was the last Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Burundi from July to November 1966, and the first President of the country from November 1966 until his overthrow in 1976.
Micombero was an ethnic Tutsi who began his career as an officer in the Burundian military at the time of Burundi's independence in 1962. He studied abroad and was given a ministerial portfolio on his return. He rose to prominence for his role in helping to crush an attempted coup d'état in October 1965 by ethnic Hutu soldiers against the Tutsi-dominated monarchy. In its aftermath, in 1966, Micombero himself instigated two further coups against the monarchy which he perceived as too moderate. The first coup in July installed a new king on the throne, propelling Micombero to the role of prime minister. The second coup in November abolished the monarchy itself, bringing Micombero to power as the first president of the new Republic of Burundi.
Micombero led a one-party state which centralised the country's institutions and adopted a neutral stance in the Cold War. Dissent was repressed and, in 1972, an attempt to challenge Micombero's power led to genocidal violence against the Hutu population in which around 100,000 people, mainly Hutus, were killed. His regime finally collapsed in 1976 when he was ousted in a coup d'état by another army officer, Jean-Baptiste Bagaza, who installed himself as president. Micombero went into exile in Somalia, where he died in 1983.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).