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Burundi
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The Republic of Burundi (formerly Urundi) is a small
nation in the Great Lakes region of Africa. It is bordered
by Rwanda on the north, Tanzania on the south and east, and
the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the west. Although
the country is landlocked, much of its western border is
adjacent to Lake Tanganyika. The country's name derives from
its Bantu language, Kirundi.
Geographically isolated, facing population pressures and
having sparse resources, Burundi is one of the poorest and
most conflict-ridden countries in Africa and in the world.
Its small size belies the magnitude of the problems it faces
in reconciling the claims of the Tutsi minority with the
Hutu majority.
History
Main article: History of Burundi
The earliest inhabitants of the area were Pygmy peoples.
They were largely replaced and absorbed by Bantu tribes
during Bantu migrations. Burundi existed as an independent
kingdom from the 16th century. In 1903, it became a German
colony and passed to Belgium in World War I. It was part of
the Belgian League of Nations mandate of Ruanda-Urundi in
1923, later a United Nations Trust Territory under Belgian
administrative authority following World War II. The origins
of Burundi monarchy are veiled in myth. According to some
legends, Ntare Rushatsi, founder of the original dynasty,
came to Burundi from Rwanda in 17th century; other, more
reliable sources, suggest that Ntare came from Buha, in the
south-east, and laid the foundation for his kingdom in the
Nkoma region.
Until the downfall of the monarchy in 1966, kingship
remained one of last links that bound Burundi with its past.
From independence in 1962, until the elections of 1993,
Burundi was controlled by a series of military dictators,
all from the Tutsi minority. These years saw extensive
ethnic violence including major incidents in 1964, 1972 and
the late 1980s. In 1993, Burundi held its first democratic
elections, which were won by the Hutu-dominated Front for
Democracy in Burundi (FRODEBU). FRODEBU leader Melchior
Ndadaye became Burundi's first Hutu President, but a few
months later he was assassinated by a group of Tutsi army
officers. The killing plunged Burundi into a vicious civil
war.
In retaliation for Ndadaye's killing, Hutu extremists
massacred hundreds of thousands of Tutsi civilians. The
Tutsi-dominated army responded by massacring thousands of
Hutus. Years of instability followed until 1996, when former
president Pierre Buyoya took power in a coup. In August
2000, a peace-deal agreed by all but two of Burundi's
political groups laid out a timetable for the restoration of
democracy. After several more years of violence, a
cease-fire was signed in 2003 between Buyoya's government
and the largest Hutu rebel group, CNDD-FDD. Later that year,
FRODEBU leader Domitien Ndayizeye replaced Buyoya as
President. Yet the most extreme Hutu group, Palipehutu-FNL
(commonly known as "FNL"), continued to refuse negotiations.
In August 2004, the group massacred 152 Congolese Tutsi
refugees at the Gatumba refugee camp in western Burundi. In
response to the attack, the Burundian government issued
arrest warrants for the FNL leaders Agathon Rwasa and
Pasteur Habimana, and declared the group a terrorist
organisation.
In May 2005 a cease-fire was finally agreed between the FNL
and the Burundian government, but fighting continued.
Renewed negotiations are now under way, amid fears that the
FNL will demand a blanket amnesty in exchange for laying
down their arms. A series of elections, held in mid-2005
were won by the former Hutu rebel National Council for the
Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD).
Geography
Map of Burundi
Satellite image of Burundi
NASA photo of BurundiMain article: Geography of Burundi
Burundi is a landlocked country with an equatorial climate.
It lies on a rolling plateau, with Lake Tanganyika in its
south west corner. The average elevation of the central
plateau is 5,600 ft, with lower elevations at the borders.
The highest peak, Mount Karonje, at 2,685 m (8,809 ft), lies
to the southeast of the capital, Bujumbura. The southeastern
and southern borders are at roughtly 4,500 ft. A strip of
land along the Ruzizi River, north of Lake Tanganyika, is
the only area below 3,000 ft: this area forms part of the
Albertine Rift, the western extension of the Great Rift
Valley.
The land is mostly agricultural or pasture, the creation of
which has led to deforestation, soil erosion and habitat
loss. There are two national parks, Kibira National Park to
the northwest (a region of montane rainforest, adjacent to
Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda), Rurubu National Park to
the north east (along the Rurubu River, also known as Ruvubu
or Ruvuvu).
The farthest headstream of the Nile is in Burundi. Although
Lake Victoria is commonly considered to be the source of the
Nile, the Kagera River flows for 690 km (429 miles) before
reaching Lake Victoria. The source of the Ruvyironza River,
an upper branch of the Kagera River, is at Mount Kikizi in
Burundi.
Burundi is divided into 16 administrative provinces. The
capital city, Bujumbura, has by far the largest population.
Smaller cities of Burundi include Gitega, Muyinga, Ngozi and
Ruyigi.
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Background:
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Independence from France came to Burkina Faso
(formerly Upper Volta) in 1960. Governmental
instability during the 1970s and 1980s was followed
by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Several
hundred thousand farm workers migrate south every
year to Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana. |
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Location:
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Western Africa, north of Ghana |
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Geographic coordinates:
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13 00
N, 2 00 W
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total: 274,200 sq km
water: 400 sq km
land: 273,800 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than Colorado |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 3,193 km
border countries: Benin 306 km, Cote d'Ivoire
584 km, Ghana 549 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km,
Togo 126 km |
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Coastline:
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0 km
(landlocked)
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Maritime claims:
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none
(landlocked)
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Climate:
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tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers |
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Terrain:
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mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills
in west and southeast |
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Ethnic groups:
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Mossi
over 40%, Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani
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Religions:
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indigenous beliefs 40%, Muslim 50%, Christian
(mainly Roman Catholic) 10% |
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Languages:
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French (official), native African languages
belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the
population |
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Currency:
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Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note -
responsible authority is the Central Bank of the
West African States |
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Currency code:
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XOF
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Exchange rates:
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Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US
dollar - 742.79 (January 2002), 733.04 (2001),
711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67
(1997); note - from 1 January 1999, the XOF is
pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF per euro
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