Burundi

Ethnic Tensions, Civil War, and Displacement

The tensions between the Hutu and the Tutsi characterized life in Burundi throughout the 20th century but flared up in a civil war in 1993 when the democratically elected Hutu president was assassinated after only 100 days in office. Although this was the immediate reason for the war, the deeper motifs of the conflict are in Burundi's colonial past. The Germans, who governed the region before their defeat in World War I, and the Belgians, who became the new colonial rulers, inculcated a sense of diversification and disparity between the Hutu and the Tutsi. Believing that the minority of Tutsis should manage the Hutu majority, the colonizers set up an abstract hierarchy to divide the native population, which culminated in racial tensions between Hutu and Tutsi. The same policy was applied in the neighboring [Page 95]state of Rwanda, which formed a unique colony with Burundi. Not surprisingly, Rwanda has also gone through a civil war fought along racial lines.

After Burundi gained independence in 1962, these ethnic allegiances have translated into party affiliation. Political parties have reflected ethnic divisions and have bitterly fought for power. Although Tutsi parties represented a minority of the population, they have continued to hold firmly onto political power and control of the army. Whenever Hutu parties such as the Front for Democracy in Burundi (FRODEBU) won democratic elections, the Tutsi always violently stopped these efforts to develop a democratic dialogue within Burundian society. This was the scenario in 1993, when both Hutu presidents of Burundi and Rwanda were assassinated, leading the two countries into a tragic civil war. In turn, Hutu have often attacked Tutsi groups. Hutu organizations such as the UBU (Burundi Workers' Party) and the Party for the Liberation of the Hutu People (PALIPEHUTU) clearly declared the annihilation of Tutsi in their agenda.

In Burundi, the civil war lasted for over 12 years and caused the death of over 200,000 citizens as well as the displacement of hundreds of thousands people living in the country's rural areas. The war damaged Burundian rural communities and further limited their ability to produce food for all their members. Army leaders, whose networks have often had considerable political influence, have encouraged the use of the country's resources for military spending rather than investing in social services and support to local communities. In the face of continuing impoverishment, the two ethnic factions began peace talks in 2003, although military clashes continued. In 2005, a new constitution was approved, and a majority Hutu government was elected. However, ethnic tensions continue to characterize Burundian society, and the road to reconciliation is still pervaded by many obstacles. The June 2010 elections, where the incumbent president Pierre Nkurunziza was the only candidate, were characterized by violence and bombings. Human rights continue to be violated, and many international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), as well as local organizations such as Ligue ITEKA, campaign for improvements in this field.

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