Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni, the former Burundian prime minister, has made a court appearance to appeal his conviction on charges including attempting to overthrow the government. Once a powerful figure in the regime, Bunyoni served as prime minister from mid-2020 until his dismissal in September 2022, shortly after President Evariste Ndayishimiye warned of a coup plot.
In December, Bunyoni was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges such as plotting to topple the government, using witchcraft to threaten the president’s life, undermining national security, destabilizing the economy, and illegal enrichment. Bunyoni, an army general, has consistently pleaded not guilty, citing a lack of evidence.
The appeal hearing, held under tight security, began on Monday at the Supreme Court, which convened in the prison in Gitega where Bunyoni is incarcerated. According to a source present at the hearing, Bunyoni reiterated his innocence, arguing there was no “material evidence and an absence of legal elements” to support the charges against him.
The prosecution has also appealed, arguing that Bunyoni’s sentence was too lenient in terms of fines and asset confiscation. Bunyoni was arrested in April last year in Bujumbura, Burundi’s main city.
Before his tenure as prime minister, Bunyoni served as police chief and internal security minister and was considered a key figure among the military leaders known as “the generals,” who held significant power in Burundi. A close ally of former president Pierre Nkurunziza, Bunyoni was influential in the ruling CNDD-FDD party since its rise to power in 2005.
Since assuming office in June 2020, President Ndayishimiye has been praised by the international community for ending Burundi’s years of isolation under Nkurunziza’s tumultuous rule. However, despite these efforts, Burundi continues to struggle with a poor human rights record and remains one of the poorest countries in the world.
