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Podcast: Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters
Episode: The Sudden COVID Death of Burundi's Strongman Ruler, Pierre Nkurunziza -- and What Comes Next
Description: Burundi's longtime ruler Pierre Nkurunziza died suddenly on June 8th, quite possibly from COVID-19. Nkurunziza has been president of Burundi since 2005, and in recent years his rule became firmly authoritarian. His death sent shockwaves across Africa and the world On the line with me today is Yolande Bouka, a professor of political studies at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. We discuss the legacy of Pierre Nkurunziza and what this chaotic moment means for Burundi and the surrounding region. We kick off discussing the circumstances surrounding Nkurunziza's death. We then discuss his fraught time in power, in...