Burundi

We land in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi on 12 July. A small, densely populated country which borders Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi has a troubled past and an uncertain future. It is one of the ten poorest countries in the world.

For over five centuries Burundi has been occupied by the Twa, Tutsi and Hutu peoples. It was ruled as a kingdom by the Tutsi for over 200 years but at the beginning of the 20th century, Germany and Belgium occupied the region. Burundi and neighboring Rwanda became a Belgian colony known as Ruanda-Urundi.

During this period, the Tutsi enjoyed positions of power. This social inequality led to political unrest which spilled over into ethnic fighting when Burundi was given independence in 1961. Generations of civil war between the Tutsi and Hutu led to a number of brutal massacres. The most recent, in 1993-94, left 300,000 dead. Over the last 40 years, hundreds of thousands of people have fled to neighbouring Rwanda and Tanzania to escape the violence.

Since 2008 there has been a fragile peace but ethnic tensions still simmer below the surface. Burundi is one of Africa’s most densely populated countries and as thousands of refugees return to their ancestral homes, competition for land and resources is beginning to mount.

SCIAF has three partners in Burundi: Agakura Youth Agricultural Project; Bashingantahe Peace Building Programe, and Nduwamahoro - an organisation which promotes peace between returning refugees and the communities they are coming back to. In January, we will begin working with a fourth partner, CEJP (the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace).