Prince Louis Rwagasore

Prince Louis Rwagasore was born on January 10, 1932, in Gitega, the heir apparent of Mwami Mwambutsa IV. Educated in political economy at the Catholic University of Leuven and the University of Antwerp in Belgium, Rwagasore returned home committed to Pan-African liberation, forming an alliance with Patrice Lumumba.

Rwagasore founded agricultural cooperatives and the Union for National Progress (UPRONA), uniting Hutu and Tutsi populations in a shared anti-colonial platform. In September 1961, UPRONA won a landslide 80% of parliamentary seats and Rwagasore was appointed Prime Minister. On October 13, 1961, while dining at the Hotel Tanganyika in Bujumbura, he was assassinated by a Greek marksman acting for rival pro-colonial factions. His mausoleum on Mount Kiriri overlooks the capital.