Bujumbura – The Burundian Minister of Water and Environment, 54-year-old Emmanuel Niyonkuru, was killed on Saturday, by an unidentified person when he was going to his residence in Rohero zone in the capital Bujumbura.
The Public Information officer at the National police Pierre Nkurikiye, through his tweeter account, announced: “Minister Emmanuel had been killed by a pistol armed man [at] around 1am near his residence and the attacker succeeded to run away."
He said that a young woman, who was with Niyonkuru, was arrested and that investigations continued.
Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza expressed his shock by the murder of an “upright man”.
“This crime will not go unpunished," he vowed.
Niyonkuru's murder is the first targeting a minister in office since Burundi descended back into a new crisis for nearly two years, following Nkurunziza's decision to bid for another term.