The ranks of sit-tight rulers in Africa are reducing but new ones seem to be warming up. Burundi’s President, Pierre Nkurunziza, is one of them. He sees himself as an evangelical who was chosen by God to rule the East African nation, and plans to do so for as long as possible.
The 54-year-old former rebel is seeking to extend his rule with constitutional changes that form the subject of this week’s referendum in the country. If approved, Nkurunziza could stay in power until 2034.
In 2015, Nkurunziza brushed aside international condemnation to seek a third term. He plunged Burundi into crisis that has killed 1,200 people, displaced hundreds of thousands and left most of his critics silenced or exiled. At his inauguration, he declared that God was on his side and warned his enemies that “they will be scattered like flour thrown into the air – as the God of heaven is a witness.”
Now, Nkurunziza is bent on rewriting the national charter to join the swelling ranks of African leaders who cling to power beyond their original constitutional limits. In the words of presidential spokesman, Willy Nyamitwe, “Nkurunziza indeed believes he is president by divine will… and he therefore organises his life and government around these values”.
Nkurunziza spends at least half of every week travelling with his football team Alleluia FC and his choir “Komeza gusenga” which means “pray non-stop” in the local Kirundi language. He and wife Denise also hold prayer meetings, where they preach to thousands, washing the feet of the poor.
