In a significant political upheaval, Pierre Buyoya led a military coup, deposing President Sylvestre Ntibantunganya. The Tutsi-led Burundian army seized power, dramatically changing the country's political leadership
The 1996 Burundian coup d'état was a military coup d'état that took place in Burundi on 25 July 1996. In the midst of the Burundi Civil War, former president Pierre Buyoya (a Tutsi) deposed Hutu President Sylvestre Ntibantunganya.
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According to Amnesty International, in the weeks following the coup, more than 6,000 people were killed in the country. This was Buyoya's second successful coup, having overthrown Jean-Baptiste Bagaza in 1987.