Rwandan and Burundian presidents J Habyarimana and C Ntayamira are killed in an air crash

Date: 6 Apr 1994
Updated: 30 Sep 2019

0n 6 April 1994, an extraordinary event in the history of the African continent took place in Kigali, Rwanda when two presidents from two countries were assassinated. Juvenal Habyarimana of Rwanda and his Burundian counterpart Cyprian Ntayamira were among 10 people in an aircraft many people believe was brought down by rocket fire. Habyarimana and Ntayamira were returning from a meeting of east and central African leaders in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, at which they discussed ways to end the ethnic violence in Burundi and Rwanda. The incident worsened an already bleak political situation. From 1890 to 1962 Rwanda and Burundi were part of one nation, Ruanda-Urundi. Following the crash, the Mutsinzi Commission of enquiry was established in 2007 by the Rwandan government to investigate the incident. In its report the commissioners resolved not to reveal the identities of the perpetrators.

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How we know this

01British Broadcasting Corporation, ‘1994: Rwanda presidents' plane 'shot down', 06 April, [online], Available at https://news.bbc.co.uk[Accessed: 23 February 2012
02History World, ‘History of Burundi’, [online], Available at www.historyworld.net[Accessed: 23 February 2012]
03Dr. Dukuze A. (2010), ‘Presidents Habyarimana and Ntaryamira Assassination: A Sham Investigation leads to Unsubstantiated and Pre-Determined Findings’, from Hungry for Truth,Peace and Justice, 28 January, [online], Available at www.hungryoftruth.blogspot.com[Accessed: 23 February 2012]

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2012, March 28). Rwandan and Burundian presidents J Habyarimana and C Ntayamira are killed in an air crash. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0080977

South African History Online (2012) 'Rwandan and Burundian presidents J Habyarimana and C Ntayamira are killed in an air crash', South African History Online, 28 March. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0080977 (Accessed: 30 September 2026).

South African History Online, Rwandan and Burundian presidents J Habyarimana and C Ntayamira are killed in an air crash [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0080977, (accessed 30 September 2026).

"Rwandan and Burundian presidents J Habyarimana and C Ntayamira are killed in an air crash." South African History Online, 28 Mar. 2012, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0080977. Accessed 30 Sept. 2026.

South African History Online. "Rwandan and Burundian presidents J Habyarimana and C Ntayamira are killed in an air crash." South African History Online. March 28, 2012. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0080977.