Brigadier General Athanase KARARUZA has been appointed Joint Chief of Staff for the Burundian military. He previously served as its Head of Personnel and Human Resources. General Kararuza attended the 2008 Senior Leaders Seminar and 2009 Eastern Africa TOPS Symposium in his capacity as a member of the Burundi Chapter’s Executive Committee.
Colonel Espitace MASUMBUKO now serves as an Aide to the Chief of General Staff for the Burundian military. He previously served as a Battalion Commander. Colonel Masumbuko attended the 2009 Senior Leaders Seminar.
Major General Célestin NDAYISABA has been appointed to the post of Military Attaché at the Embassy of Burundi in Russia. He previously served as both the Director General for Planning and Strategic Studies and the Inspector General at the Ministry of Defense. General Ndayisaba attended the second iteration of the Senior Leaders Seminar in 2000.
Lieutenant Colonel Bernard NDIHO has been promoted to the rank of Colonel and appointed Chief of Operations for the Joint Staff. Colonel Ndiho previously served as the Deputy Director for Strategic Studies at the Ministry of Defense. He attended the Small Arms and Light Weapons Workshop in 2008.
After studying at the Kenya National Defence College, Brigadier General Cyprien NDIKURIYO has been appointed Director General for Planning and Strategic Studies at the Ministry of Defense. He attended the Next Generation of African Military Leaders course in July 2006.
Brigadier General Audace BDUWUMUNSI has been appointed Director of Planning at the Ministry of Defense. He previously served as the Director of Strategic Studies. General Bduwumunsi attended the Golden Spear program in 2004.
Colonel Adolphe MANIRAKIZA has been appointed Vice President of the National Council of Communications by President Pierre Nkurunziza. Colonel Manirakiza recently returned from Somalia where he served as Burundi’s Information Officer and briefly attended the Inter-Army Command and Staff College prior to his appointment. He participated in the Next Generation of African Military Leaders Course in 2005 and the Community Leadership Conference in both 2007 and 2008 in his capacity as Secretary General of the Burundi Chapter.
Brigadier General Athanase Kararuza – Burundi – 23 September 2008: Colonel Athanase Kararuza has been promoted to the rank of Brigadier General. He remains Commander of the First Military Region of Burundi. Brigadier General Kararuza participated in the most recent iteration of the Senior Leaders Seminar in Washington, DC in July 2008.
OPC2 Thacien Nivyinyeretse – Burundi – 9 April 2008: Lieutenant Colonel Thacien Nivyinyeretse has left his military position to join the Ministry of Public Safety as Chief Police Officer 2nd class (OPC2). He is in charge of logistics at the General Directorate of the National Police Force. Before that, he served as an Intelligence Officer with the 1st Infantry Brigade at the Ministry of Defense. OPC2 Nivyinyeretse took part in the very first Next Generation of African Military Leaders Seminar in April 2005.
