General Evariste Ndayishimiye, who was this week sworn in as Burundi’s ninth president following an election win and the untimely demise of his predecessor, Pierre Nkurunziza, represents exciting prospects for his country.
Like many of his predecessors, Burundi’s new leader inherits a country at a crossroads.
Despite all the uncertainty, Ndayishimiye has the leverage to turn a new page in his country’s turbulent politics.
They have borne the brunt of the country’s bloody politics and hundreds of thousands of them have lost their lives, on the altar of competition for political power.
Ndayishimiye’s immediate task is to consolidate this by uniting Burundians around a vision for a new Burundi in which everybody will have the space to act and express their aspirations without fear or consequence.