[6] Following independence in 1962, the king was overthrown in a military coup d'état, and the monarchy abolished in 1966.

Kamatari fled the country in 1970 after her father's assassination and settled in Paris,[7] where she became the first African model in France.

[8] An attempt to re-establish the kingdom ended with the murder of King Ntare V in 1972.

[5] Burundi's post-independence history has been dominated by tensions between the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority.

[13] A peace brokered by South Africa has made elections possible in Burundi, and Esther Kamatari and her Abahuza party, which means "bringing people together," will run on the platform of restoration of the monarchy.