'Pierre Ngendandumwe' (
1930 -
January 15,
1965) was a
Burundian political figure. He was a member of the
Union for National Progress and was an ethnic
Hutu. On
June 18 1963, about a year after Burundi gained independence and amidst efforts to bring about political cooperation between Hutus and the dominant minority
Tutsis, Ngendandumwe became Burundi's first Hutu prime minister. He served as prime minister until
April 6 1964 and then became prime minister again on
January 7 1965, serving until his death. Just 8 days after beginning his second term, he was
assassinated by a
Rwandan Tutsi refugee who is believed to have been employed at the American embassy in Burundi. It is believed by some that Ngendandumwe's assassination was aided by the United States
Central Intelligence Agency though it is not known for sure. The assassination led to a renewed escalation of unrest between Tutsis and Hutus, particularly after his Hutu successor,
Joseph Bamina was assassinated later in 1965.