Burundi

Burundi is a small country that is part of the Great Lakes region bordering Rwanda to the North, Tanzania to the South and East, and the DRC to the West. There are three ethnic groups in Burundi, namely the Tutsi (14%), Hutu (85%), and the Twa (1%). The background of the conflict and peace processes in Burundi is an extremely complicated one, considerably obscured by the lack of consensus on the historical accounts presented by different actors. This review highlights some historical facts about the conflicts in Burundi with a colossal focus on the missions that were initiated to build and sustain peace in the country. Burundi has experienced decades of conflict since gaining its independence in 1962 from Belgium. The violent conflicts that…

As a result of devastating conflicts, the average person in Burundi makes only 560 USD a year; which is barely enough to feed themselves about three months; there is not much happiness in Burundi. More than 66% of the nation are below the poverty line and over 58% of the whole population is starving and/or malnourished. The nation fell into this extreme poverty and starvation about 15 years ago; during a period of civil war between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes. The civil war ended in 2005, but the…

Introduction Burundi is situated in the continent of Africa and the capital city of Burundi is Bujumbura. Rwanda, Tanzania and Democratic Republic of the Congo are its neighbouring countries. 62.1% of people in Burundi are catholic because Christianity is Burundi’s main religion. The population is divided into two main groups called the Hutu and the Tutsi. Hutu forms around 85% of the Burundian population and Tutsi takes up around 14%. In 1993-2005 there was a civil war between Hutu and Tutsi…

The land in Burundi is arid and not arable. “Land fragmentation, stagnant or declining yields, falling soil fertility, the absence of inputs and improved breeds of livestock, and low levels of technical knowledge have prevented farmers from boosting production and increasing their incomes.” (New Agriculturalist) A potential result of this land fragmentation and falling soil fertility would be that the land would become so arid that no crops would grow. However, the country is taking steps to…

Hutus move into Rwanda and force the Twa off their farmland around 700 B.C. The Tutsi gain dominance in Rwanda around 200 B.C. Tutsi leaders Ruganzu Bwimba established a kingdom near Kigali in the 15 century. Kigeli Rwabugiri expands to its present day borders in the 19th century. The Berlin conference and Germany claim Ruanda-Burundi as part of German East Africa in 1885.Evidence of the early settlements in present day Rwanda date to about 10,000 B.C. A few hundred years later another wave of…

It was intriguing to read “Genocide in the Great Lakes: Which Genocide? Whose Genocide?” because it revealed many critical historical problems, and revelations, between Hutu and Tutsis. When reading history about Rwanda one does not think about actions that are happening outside of the country. It was interesting to find out that many other events were occurring that constituted as genocide, but were never covered by the media. One major historical problem is the fact that peace-makers within…

I was raised in a Burundian refugee camp in Tanzania because there was a civil war in my native country Burundi, between the Hutus and Tutsis. As a child living in the camp, history of what happened during the civil war in Burundi was not something that was talked about in the open. The conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi people is a sensitive major issue in Burundi and Rwanda. Within those two most talked about ethnic groups, there is also the Twa population which are pygmy people that are…

Before Deo was able to escape the harsh conditions of the civil war, he had no other choice but to stay in a refugee camp. Refugee camps aim to meet basic human needs, but the lack of space and infrastructure usually only allows refugees to settle temporarily. Most people seek refugee camps because they have escaped war in their home country and are seeking asylum that is granted in another country. These camps provide food and medicine; however, most people face infectious diseases and…

Rwanda is geographically located in Africa. It is directly North of Burundi and East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rwanda has a Republican government. In Rwanda, the people speak Kinyarwanda, French, English, and Swahili. The life expectancy in Rwanda is 59. Most Rwandans are apart of the Hutu, Tutsi or Twa groups. Rwanda is made up of grassy uplands and hills. In 2013, the population of Rwanda was 11.78 million. Rwanda was made up of two main ethnic groups, the Hutu and the Tutsi.…

AMISOM is made up of thousands of soldiers from Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, Djibouti, Sierra Leone and others starting in 2007. Siad Barre ruled as a military dictator and as a president during the last period of relative peace. In 1991, Civil War broke out and the misery began. Various international missions tried to intervene with bloody results. In 1993, A US helicopter squadron got ambushed trying to contain warlords in Mogadishu. Rocket propelled grenades took down several airships and 18…