1965 Burundian coup attempt

1965 Burundian coup attempt
	Location of Burundi in Central Africa
Date	18–19 October 1965
Location	Bujumbura, Kingdom of Burundi
Type	Military coup
Cause	Ethnic tensions between Hutus and Tutsis; Mwambutsa IV's perceived interference in government by Hutu leaders;
Organised by	Antoine Serukwavu
Participants	Faction within the gendarmerie and army
Outcome	Coup fails Mwambutsa IV remains on the throne but moves into exile; 86 alleged conspirators executed; Several thousand civilians killed in ethnic violence;

An attempted coup d'etat in Burundi took place between 18–19 October 1965, when a group of ethnic Hutu officers from the Burundian military and gendarmerie attempted to overthrow Burundi's government. The rebels were frustrated with the king (mwami) of Burundi, Mwambutsa IV, who had repeatedly attempted to cement his control over the government and bypassed parliamentary norms despite Hutu electoral gains. Although the prime minister was shot and wounded, the coup failed due to the intervention of a contingent of troops led by Captain Michel Micombero.

The attempted coup d'état provoked a backlash against Hutus in which thousands of people, including the participants in the coup, were killed. The coup also facilitated a militant Tutsi backlash against the monarchy resulting in two further coups which culminated in the abolition of the monarchy in November 1966 and the proclamation of a republic with Micombero as President of Burundi.