Burundi President Ndayishimiye Cancels Paris Trip Amid Coup Plot Rumors
Reports from Burundi indicate that President Évariste Ndayishimiye abruptly canceled his planned trip to Paris, France, after learning of an alleged plot to overthrow his government.
Ndayishimiye was scheduled to depart Bujumbura on the evening of Tuesday, October 28, 2025, to attend a high-level meeting in Paris focused on the ongoing crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Great Lakes region.
The meeting, organized by French President Emmanuel Macron in collaboration with Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé, was expected to bring together regional leaders, including Rwanda’s Paul Kagame and DRC’s Félix Antoine Tshisekedi, for discussions on peace and security in the region.
However, credible sources in Bujumbura claim that Ndayishimiye called off his trip at the last minute upon receiving intelligence reports that a group of senior army generals, many of whom are former combatants of the ruling CNDD-FDD, were plotting a coup d’état during his absence.
The decision came just hours after French Ambassador to Burundi, Sébastien Minot, confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that Ndayishimiye and Foreign Affairs Minister Edouard Bizimana would represent Burundi at the Paris summit.
The Burundi Embassy in Paris had also invited members of the Burundian diaspora to meet President Ndayishimiye on Friday, October 31, as part of his official visit — an event now postponed indefinitely.
The reported coup plot follows weeks of growing tension within the Burundian military and ruling party circles. Observers link it to the recent arrest of Brigadier General Bertin Gahungu, who has been in detention for over a month amid speculation of internal dissent within the armed forces.
While the Burundian government has not yet issued an official statement, sources close to the presidency suggest heightened security measures have been put in place around the capital, Bujumbura, to prevent any potential unrest.
