Bureau of African
Affairs
July
2007
Background Note:
Burundi
Burundian traditional
dancers
practice for ceremony.
Bujumbura,
Burundi, April 29, 2003. [©
AP
Images]
Flag of Burundi is divided by a white diagonal cross into red panels
(top and
bottom) and green panels (hoist side and outer side) with a
white disk
superimposed at the
center bearing three red six-pointed stars outlined in
green arranged in a triangular design (one star above, two stars
below).
PROFILE
OFFICIAL
NAME:
Republic of
Burundi
Geography
Location: Central Africa. Bordering nations--Tanzania, the
Democratic
Republic of the
Congo,
Rwanda.
Area: 27,830 sq. km. (10,747 sq. mi.); about the size of
Maryland.
Cities: Capital--Bujumbura (pop. 300,000). Other cities--Cibitoke,
Muyinga,
Ngozi, Bubanza, Gitega,
Bururi.
Climate: Equatorial; high plateau with considerable altitude
variation (772 m
to 2,670 m above sea level); average annual
temperature varies with altitude
from 23 to 17 degrees centigrade but
is generally moderate as the average
altitude is
about 1,700 m; average annual rainfall is about 150 cm; two wet
seasons (February to May and September to November), and two dry
seasons
(June to August and December to
January).
Terrain: Hilly, rising from 780 meters (2,600 ft.) at the Shore of
Lake
Tanganyika to mountains more than
2,700 meters (9,000 ft.) above sea level.
People
Nationality: Noun and
adjective--Burundian(s).
Population (July 2007 est.):
8,390,505.
Annual growth rate (2007 est.):
3.593%.
Ethnic groups (estimated): Hutu 85%; Tutsi 14%; Twa
1.0%.
Religions (estimated): Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant
5%),
indigenous beliefs 23%, Muslim
10%.
Languages: Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili (along
Lake
Tanganyika and in the
Bujumbura area),
English.
Education: Years compulsory--6. Attendance--84.05% male, 62.8%
female.
Literacy--51.6% of total
adult population (2003
estimate).
Health (2007 est.): Life expectancy--total population: 51.29 years;
male:
50.48 years; female: 52.12 years. Infant
mortality rate--61.93/1,000.
Government
Type: Republic. Democratically elected, post-transition
government
established August 26,
2005.
Independence: July 1, 1962 (from
Belgium).
Constitution: A transitional constitution was adopted October 18,
2001. The
parliament adopted a post-transition constitution on
September 17, 2004,
which was approved in a
nation-wide referendum held February 28,
2005.
Branches:
Executive--President, First Vice President in charge of political
and administrative affairs, Second Vice President in charge of social
and
economic affairs, 20-member Council of
Ministers. Legislative--A 100-member
directly elected National
Assembly plus additional deputies appointed as
necessary (currently 18 appointed) to ensure an ethnic and gender
composition
of 60% Hutu, 40% Tutsi, 30% female, and 3 Batwa members. A
54-member Senate
(3 seats reserved for former presidents; 3
seats reserved for the ethnic Twa
minority; 2 Senators, one Hutu and
one Tutsi, from each of the 16 provinces
plus the city of
Bujumbura appointed by an electoral college comprised of
members of locally elected communal and provincial councils; 14
Senators
appointed by the president according
to the president's own criteria. Women
must comprise 30% of the
Senate.) Judicial--constitutional and subsidiary
courts.
Administrative subdivisions: 17 provinces including Bujumbura, 117
communes.
Political parties: Multi-party system consisting of 21
registered political
parties, of which CNDD (the National
Council for the Defense of Democracy,
Hutu), FRODEBU (the
Front for Democracy in Burundi, predominantly Hutu with
some
Tutsi membership), and UPRONA (the National Unity and Progress
Party,
predominantly Tutsi with some Hutu membership) are
national, mainstream
parties. Other
Tutsi and Hutu opposition parties and groups include, among
others, PARENA (the Party for National Redress, Tutsi), ABASA (the
Burundi
African Alliance for the Salvation, Tutsi), PRP
(the People's Reconciliation
Party, Tutsi), PALIPEHUTU (the Party for
the Liberation of the Hutu People,
Hutu) and FROLINA/FAP (the
Front for the National Liberation of Burundi/
Popular Armed Forces,
Hutu).
Suffrage: Universal
adult.
Economy
GDP (2006 est.): $776
million.
Real growth rate (2006):
3.8%.
Per capita GDP (2004): $96; ($700 using purchasing power parity, 2006
est.).
Inflation rate (2006):
11%.
Central government budget (2006 est.): Revenues--$239.9 million;
expenditures
--$297 million, including capital
expenditures.
Natural resources: Nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt,
copper,
platinum, vanadium, arable land, hydropower, niobium,
tantalum, gold, tin,
tungsten, kaolin,
limestone.
Agriculture (2006 est., 44.9% of GDP): Coffee, cotton, tea, corn,
sorghum,
sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc (tapioca), beef,
milk, hides. Arable land
--35.57% (2005
est.).
Industry (2006 est., 20.9% of GDP): Types--beverage production,
coffee and
tea processing, cigarette production, sugar
refining, pharmaceuticals, light
food processing, textiles, chemicals
(insecticides), public
works
construction, consumer goods, assembly of imported components, light
consumer
goods such as blankets, shoes,
soap.
Services (2006 est.): 34.1% of
GDP.
Mining: Commercial quantities of alluvial gold, nickel, phosphates,
rare
earth, vanadium, and other; peat
mining.
Trade (2006 est.): Exports--$55.68 million f.o.b.: coffee (50% of
export
earnings), tea, sugar, cotton fabrics,
hides. Major markets--U.K., Germany,
Benelux, Switzerland.
Imports--$207.3 million f.o.b.: food,
beverages,
tobacco, chemicals,
road vehicles, petroleum products. Major
suppliers
--Benelux, France,
Germany, Saudi Arabia,
Japan.
Total external debt (2004 est.): $1.4
billion.
PEOPLE
At 206.1 persons per sq. km., Burundi has the second-largest
population
density in Sub-Saharan
Africa. Most people live on farms near areas
of
fertile volcanic soil. The
population is made up of three major ethnic
groups--Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa. Kirundi is the most widely spoken
language;
French and Kiswahili also are widely
spoken. Intermarriage takes place
frequently between the Hutus and Tutsis. Although Hutus encompass
the
majority of the
population, historically Tutsis have been politically and
economically
dominant.
HISTORY
In the 16th century, Burundi was a kingdom characterized by a
hierarchical
political authority and tributary economic
exchange. A king (mwani) headed a
princely aristocracy (ganwa) that
owned most of the land and required a
tribute, or tax, from local farmers and herders. In the mid-18th
century,
this Tutsi royalty consolidated authority
over land, production, and
distribution with the development of the ubugabire--a
patron-client
relationship in which the populace received royal protection in exchange for
tribute and land
tenure.
Although European explorers and missionaries made brief visits to the
area as
early as 1856, it was not until 1899 that Burundi came under
German East
African administration. In 1916
Belgian troops occupied the area. In 1923,
the League of
Nations mandated to Belgium the territory of Ruanda-Urundi,
encompassing modern-day Rwanda and Burundi. The Belgians administered
the
territory through indirect rule, building on
the Tutsi-dominated aristocratic
hierarchy. Following World War II,
Ruanda-Urundi became a United Nations
Trust
Territory under Belgian administrative authority. After 1948, Belgium
permitted the emergence of competing political parties. Two political
parties
emerged: the Union for National Progress (UPRONA), a
multi-ethnic party led
by Tutsi Prince Louis Rwagasore and the
Christian Democratic Party (PDC)
supported by
Belgium. In 1961, Prince Rwagasore was assassinated following an
UPRONA victory in legislative
elections.
Full independence was achieved on July 1, 1962. In the context of
weak
democratic institutions at
independence, Tutsi King Mwambutsa IV established
a constitutional
monarchy comprising equal numbers of Hutus and Tutsis. The
1965
assassination of the Hutu prime minister set in motion a series
of
destabilizing Hutu revolts and
subsequent governmental repression. In 1966,
King Mwambutsa was
deposed by his son, Prince Ntare IV, who himself
was
deposed the same year by a military
coup lead by Capt. Michel Micombero.
Micombero abolished the monarchy and declared a republic, although a de
facto
military regime emerged. In 1972, an aborted Hutu rebellion
triggered the
flight of hundreds of thousands of
Burundians. Civil unrest continued
throughout the late 1960s and early
1970s.
In 1976, Col. Jean-Baptiste Bagaza took power in a bloodless coup.
Although
Bagaza led a Tutsi-dominated military regime, he
encouraged land reform,
electoral reform, and
national reconciliation. In 1981, a new constitution
was
promulgated. In 1984, Bagaza was elected head of state, as the
sole
candidate. After his election,
Bagaza's human rights record deteriorated as
he suppressed
religious activities and detained political opposition
members.
In 1987, Maj. Pierre Buyoya overthrew Colonel Bagaza. He dissolved
opposition
parties, suspended the 1981 constitution, and instituted
his ruling Military
Committee for National Salvation (CSMN). During
1988, increasing tensions
between the ruling Tutsis
and the majority Hutus resulted in
violent
confrontations between the army, the Hutu opposition, and Tutsi
hardliners.
During this period, an estimated 150,000 people
were killed, with tens of
thousands of refugees
flowing to neighboring countries. Buyoya formed a
commission to investigate the causes of the 1988 unrest and to
develop a
charter for democratic
reform.
In 1991, Buyoya approved a constitution that provided for a
president,
multi-ethnic
government, and a parliament. Burundi's first Hutu president,
Melchior Ndadaye, of the Hutu-dominated FRODEBU Party, was elected in
1993.
He was assassinated by factions of the Tutsi-dominated
armed forces in
October 1993. The
country was then plunged into civil war, which killed tens
of
thousands of people and displaced hundreds of thousands by the time
the
FRODEBU government regained control and elected
Cyprien Ntaryamira president
in January 1994. Nonetheless, the
security situation continued
to
deteriorate. In April 1994, President Ntayamira and Rwandan President
Juvenal
Habyarimana died in a plane crash. This act marked the
beginning of the
Rwandan genocide,
while in Burundi, the death of Ntaryamira exacerbated the
violence and unrest. Sylvestre Ntibantunganya was installed as president for
a 4-year term on April 8, but the security situation further
deteriorated.
The influx of hundreds of thousands of
Rwandan refugees and the activities of
armed Hutu and Tutsi groups
further destabilized the
regime.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL
CONDITIONS
In November 1995, the presidents of Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and
Zaire (now
Democratic Republic of the Congo) announced a
regional initiative for a
negotiated
peace in Burundi facilitated by former Tanzanian President Julius
Nyerere. In July 1996, former Burundian President Buyoya returned to power
in
a bloodless coup. He declared himself president of a transitional
republic,
even as he suspended the National Assembly, banned
opposition groups, and
imposed a nationwide curfew.
Widespread condemnation of the coup ensued, and
regional countries
imposed economic sanctions pending a return to
a
constitutional government. Buyoya agreed in 1996 to liberalize
political
parties. Nonetheless, fighting
between the army and Hutu militias continued.
In June 1998, Buyoya
promulgated a transitional constitution and announced a
partnership
between the government and the opposition-led National Assembly.
After Facilitator Julius Nyerere's death in October 1999, the
regional
leaders appointed Nelson
Mandela as Facilitator of the Arusha peace process.
Under Mandela the
faltering peace process was revived, leading to the signing
of the
Arusha Accords in August 2000 by representatives of the principal Hutu
(G-7) and Tutsi (G-10) political parties, the government, and the
National
Assembly. However, the FDD and FNL armed
factions of the CNDD and Palipehutu
G-7 parties refused to accept the
Arusha Accords, and the armed rebellion
continued.
In November 2001, a 3-year transitional government was established
under the
leadership of Pierre Buyoya (representing the G-10) as
transitional president
and Domitien Ndayizeye (representing the G-7)
as transitional vice president
for an initial period of 18 months. In
May 2003, Mr. Ndayizeye assumed the
presidency for 18
months with Alphonse Marie Kadege as vice president. In
October and November 2003 the Burundian Government and the former
rebel group
the CNDD-FDD signed cease-fire and power-sharing
agreements, and in March
2004 members of the
CNDD-FDD took offices in the government and parliament.
The
World Bank and other bilateral donors have provided financing
for
Burundi's disarmament,
demobilization, and reintegration program for former
rebel
combatants.
National and regional mediation efforts failed to reach a compromise
on
post-transition power-sharing
arrangements between the predominantly Hutu and
Tutsi political
parties, and in September 2004 over two-thirds of
the
parliament--despite a
boycott by the Tutsi parties--approved
a
post-transition constitution. The Arusha Peace Agreement called for
local and
national elections to be held before the conclusion of the
transitional
period on October 31,
2004. On October 20, 2004, however, a joint session of
the National
Assembly and Senate adopted a previously approved
draft
constitution as
an interim constitution that provides for an extension of
transitional institutions until elections are held. On February 28,
2005,
Burundians overwhelmingly approved a
post-transitional constitution in a
popular
referendum, setting the stage for local and national elections. In
April 2005, Burundi's transitional government was again extended and
an
electoral calendar was established
at a regional summit held in Uganda.
In accordance with the new electoral calendar, the Burundian people
voted in
Commune Council direct elections on June 3, 2005 and
National Assembly direct
elections on July 4, 2005. An electoral
college of commune and provincial
councils
indirectly elected Senate members on July 29, 2005. A joint session
of the parliament elected Pierre Nkurunziza as President of Burundi on
August
19, 2005 in a vote of 151 to 9 with one abstention,
establishing the
post-transition government. Finally, the Burundian people established
Colline
(hill) councils through direct elections on September 23,
2005.
Principal Government
Officials
President--Pierre
Nkurunziza
First Vice President--Martin
Nduwimana
Second Vice President--Gabriel
Ntiserzerana
Speaker of the National Assembly--Pie
Ntavyohanyuma
President of the Senate--Isidore
Rufyikiri
Minister of Defense--Germain
Niyoyankana
Minister of External Relations and Cooperation--Antoinette
Batumubwira
Minister of Interior
and Public Security--Evariste
Ndayishimiye
Ambassador to the United States--Celestin
Niyongabo
Burundi maintains an embassy in the United States at Suite 212,
2233
Wisconsin Ave.
NW, Washington, DC 20007 (tel.
202-342-2574).
ECONOMY
The mainstay of the Burundian economy is agriculture, accounting for
44.9% of
GDP in 2006. Agriculture supports more than 90% of the labor
force, the
majority of whom are
subsistence farmers. Although Burundi is potentially
self-sufficient in food production, the civil war, overpopulation,
and soil
erosion have contributed to the contraction of the
subsistence economy by 30%
in recent years. Large numbers of
internally displaced persons have been
unable
to produce their own food and are dependent on
international
humanitarian assistance. Burundi is a net food importer, with food
accounting
for 13% of imports in
2003.
The main cash crop is coffee, which accounted for some 50% of exports
in
2003. This dependence on coffee has
increased Burundi's vulnerability to
fluctuations in seasonal yields and international coffee prices.
Coffee
processing is the largest
state-owned enterprise in terms of income. Although
the government has
tried to attract private investment to this sector, plans
for the
privatization of this sector have stalled. Efforts to privatize other
publicly held enterprises have likewise stalled. Other principal
exports
include tea, sugar, and raw cotton.
Coffee production, after a severe drop in
2003, returned to normal
levels in 2004. Revenues from coffee production and
exports are
likewise estimated to return to pre-2003
levels.
Little industry exists except the processing of agricultural
exports.
Although potential
wealth in petroleum, nickel, copper, and other natural
resources is being explored, the uncertain security situation has
prevented
meaningful investor interest. Industrial development
also is hampered by
Burundi's distance from
the sea and high transport costs. Lake Tanganyika
remains an important trading
point.
Burundi is heavily dependent on bilateral and multilateral aid, with
external
debt totaling $1.4 billion in 2004. IMF structural adjustment
programs in
Burundi were suspended following the
outbreak of violence in 1993; the IMF
re-engaged Burundi
in 2002 and 2003 with post-conflict credits, and in 2004
approved a $104 million Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility loan. The
World
Bank is preparing a Transition Support Strategy, and has
identified key areas
for potential growth, including the productivity
of traditional crops and the
introduction of new exports, light
manufactures, industrial mining, and
services. Both the IMF and the World Bank are assisting the Burundians
to
prepare a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper.
Serious economic problems include
the state's role in the economy, the
question of governmental transparency,
and debt
reduction.
Based on Burundi's successful transition from war to peace and
the
establishment of a democratically elected government in Burundi in September
2005, the United States Government lifted all sanctions on assistance
to
Burundi on October 18, 2005. Burundi also
became eligible for trade benefits
under the African Growth and
Opportunity Act in December
2005.
FOREIGN
RELATIONS
Burundi's relations with its neighbors have often been affected by
security
concerns. Hundreds of thousands of Burundian refugees
have at various times
crossed into Rwanda, Tanzania, and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Hundreds of
thousands of Burundians fled to neighboring countries during the
civil war. Most of them, more than 750,000 since 1993, are in
Tanzania.
Burundi maintains close
relations with all neighbors in the Great Lakes
region, including Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the
Congo.
Burundi is a member of various international and regional
organizations,
including the United Nations,
the World Trade Organization, the African
Union, the African Development Bank, COMESA, the free-tariff zone of
eastern
and southern Africa, and the East Africa Community
(EAC).
U.S.-BURUNDI
RELATIONS
U.S. Government goals in Burundi are to help the people of Burundi
realize a
just and lasting peace based upon democratic principles and
sustainable
economic development. The
United States encourages political stability,
ongoing democratic reforms, political openness, respect for human
rights, and
economic development in Burundi. In the long term, the
United States seeks to
strengthen the process of internal
reconciliation and democratization within
all the states of the
region to promote a stable, democratic community of
nations that will work toward mutual social, economic, and security
interests
on the
continent.
The United States supported the Arusha peace process, providing
financial
support through our assessed
contributions to a UN peacekeeping
force
established in
2004.
Principal U.S.
Officials
Ambassador--Patricia Newton
Moller
Deputy Chief of Mission--Ann K.
Breiter
Political/Economic Officers--Lewis Carroll, Caren
Brown
Management Officer--George
Lawson
Consular Officer--Matthew
Garret
Regional Security Officer--Michael
Jordan
General Service Officer--Lynn
Whiteheart
The U.S. Embassy is located at Avenue des Etats Unis (Boite Postale
1720),
Bujumbura (tel. [257]
22-34-54).
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS
INFORMATION
The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program advises
Americans
traveling and residing abroad through Consular Information
Sheets, Public
Announcements, and Travel Warnings.
Consular Information Sheets exist for all
countries and include
information on entry and exit requirements, currency
regulations, health conditions, safety and security, crime,
political
disturbances, and
the addresses of the U.S. embassies and consulates abroad.
Public
Announcements are issued to disseminate information quickly
about
terrorist threats and other relatively
short-term conditions overseas that
pose significant
risks to the security of American travelers. Travel Warnings
are
issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel
to a certain country because the situation is dangerous or
unstable.
For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling
abroad
should regularly monitor the Department's Bureau
of Consular Affairs Internet
web site at
href="http://www.travel.state.gov">http://www.travel.state.gov, where the
current Worldwide Caution,
Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings
can be found. Consular Affairs
Publications,
which contain information on obtaining passports and planning a
safe
trip abroad, are also available at
href="http://www.travel.state.gov">http://www.travel.state.gov.
For
additional information on international
travel, see
href="http://www.usa.gov/">http://www.usa.gov/
Citizen/Topics/Travel/International.shtml.
The Department of State encourages all U.S citizens who traveling or
residing
abroad to register via the State Department's travel
registration website or
at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate
abroad. Registration will make your
presence and whereabouts known in
case it is necessary to contact you in an
emergency and will
enable you to receive up-to-date information on security
conditions.
Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be
obtained
by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and
Canada or the regular
toll line 1-202-501-4444 for
callers outside the U.S. and
Canada.
The National Passport Information Center (NPIC) is the U.S.
Department of
State's single, centralized public
contact center for U.S.
passport
information. Telephone: 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778). Customer
service
representatives and operators for TDD/TTY
are available Monday-Friday, 7:00
a.m. to 12:00 midnight,
Eastern Time, excluding federal
holidays.
Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S.
Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.
A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP
(877-394-8747) and a web site at
href="http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm">http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm
give the
most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations
or requirements,
and advice on food and drinking water safety for
regions and countries. A
booklet entitled "Health
Information for International Travel"
(HHS
publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S.
Government
Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202)
512-1800.
Further Electronic
Information
Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at
http://
www.state.gov, the Department of State web
site provides timely, global
access to
official U.S. foreign policy information, including
Background
Notes and daily press briefings
along with the directory of key officers of
Foreign Service
posts and more. The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC)
provides
security information and regional news that impact U.S. companies
working abroad through its website
href="http://www.osac.gov">http://www.osac.gov
Export.gov provides a portal to all export-related assistance and
market
information offered by the federal
government and provides trade leads, free
export counseling, help
with the export process, and
more.
STAT-USA/Internet, a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce,
provides
authoritative economic, business, and
international trade information from
the Federal
government. The site includes current and
historical
trade-related releases, international market research, trade
opportunities,
and country analysis and provides access to the
National Trade Data Bank.