 The city grew steadily during the following decades; in the early 1970s the population was 25,000 with only five paved roads, and by 1991 it was around 250,000.On 6 July 1973 there was a bloodless military coup, in which minister of defence Juvénal Habyarimana overthrew ruling president Grégoire Kayibanda.Businesses closed for a few days, and troops patrolled across the city, but the disruption was short-lived and the army had left the streets by 11 July.