Museveni denies backing Buyoya coup

President Yoweri Museveni has “categorically denied” press reports that he backed the 1996 coup which brought President Pierre Buyoya to power in Burundi. In a press release, received by IRIN on Monday, the president’s office said a story to this effect appearing in ‘The Monitor’ on Saturday was “totally false”. ‘The Monitor’ quoted Museveni as telling a joint news conference with Buyoya and Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa in Entebbe on Friday, that although military coups were generally condemned, “in the case of Burundi we had to make an exception because of the special tragic and recent history of Burundi”.

However, the press release said at no time did Museveni say or imply that he supported Buyoya for taking power through a military coup. “President Museveni explained that, in the case of Burundi, the [regional] leaders had decided to deal with the government of President Buyoya as a way of ending the trauma of the people of Burundi.” “It will be recalled that from the time of the military coup in Burundi, President Museveni was one of the leaders who pushed for economic sanctions...as a way of putting pressure on [Burundi] to start moving to the democratic path,” the statement added.