Zedi Feruzi | |
|---|---|
| Died | (2015-05-23)23 May 2015 Ngagara district, Bujumbura, Burundi |
| Cause of death | Assassination |
| Nationality | Burundian |
| Alma mater | University of Burundi |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Political party | Union for Peace and Development (UPD-Zigamibanga) |
Zedi Feruzi (died 23 May 2015) was aBurundian politician from the minorUnion for Peace and Development (UPD-Zigamibanga) party. His assassination during thepolitical unrest of 2015, allegedly by supporters of the incumbent government ofPierre Nkurunziza, led to an increased polarisation between government and its political opponents.
A member ofBurundi's small Muslim community, Feruzi studied at theUniversity of Burundi. He taught History for several years at a Catholic secondary school inBujumbura before entering the Burundian government in 2006 to work in the Ministry of Justice.[1] His brother served as governor ofMuyinga Province.[2] Feruzi subsequently took the leadership of theUnion for Peace and Development (UPD-Zigamibanga), a small party supported predominantly by Muslims, in opposition to PresidentPierre Nkurunziza.[3] In 2011, after the National Assembly of Burundi approved changed to laws governing political parties Feruzi withdrew the UPD-Zigamibanga from theADC–Ikibiri. He was subsequently suspended by the executive committee of his own party.[4] Feruzi was a vocal critic of Nkurunziza's ambition to stand for a third presidential term whichsparked a political crisis after it was announced in April 2015.[1]
On 23 May 2015, Feruzi was shot dead, together with his bodyguard, in adrive-by shooting in theNgagara district of Bujumbura as he was returning home.[3] He was buried in a Muslim cemetery in Bujumbura. Several thousand people attended his funeral.[5] The murder was condemned byBan Ki-moon,United Nations Secretary-General, and theUnited Nations Security Council.[6] After his death other opposition politicians and activists went into hiding.[5][7] They suspended talks with the Burundian government to protest the killing of Feruzi.[8]