BUJUMBURA, Burundi – President Evariste Ndayishimiye has dismissed his Minister of Infrastructure, Social Housing, and Transport, Damien Niyonkuru, following a wave of public anger over persistent fuel shortages and stalled development projects.
In a decree issued late Tuesday and publicized Wednesday, the President named Egide Nijimbere, a longtime permanent secretary within the ministry, as the new minister.
The reshuffle comes as Burundi grapples with a months-long energy crisis that has paralyzed public transport and tripled the price of goods on the black market. Long queues at gas stations have become a permanent fixture in the economic capital, Bujumbura, with many pumps remaining dry for weeks at a time.
“The decision reflects the administration’s dissatisfaction with the pace of public works and the failure to stabilize the petroleum supply chain,” a government spokesperson said on state radio.
The shake-up extended to other departments: Fidele Nkezabahizi was appointed Minister of Public Health, and Evelyne Butoyi took over the Communications and Media portfolio. The latter post had been vacant following the death of former minister Gabby Bugaga in a vehicle accident earlier this month.
Burundi, which relies entirely on imported petroleum, has been hit hard by rising global oil prices and a chronic shortage of foreign exchange.
