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 …show more content…
Cyprien Ntaryamira, a Minister of Agriculture was [contentiously] elected by the Assembly to become a new President and sworn into office in February 1994. Unfortunately, Ntaryamina was also killed along with the Rwanda President Habyarimana in April 1994 when unknown rebels shot down their plane. By 1996, FRODEBU and other Hutu militias had almost been alienated and dominated by UPRONA – broadly composed of the army and the Tutsi political …show more content…
Therefore, the need for a peace process was not only because of the violence within Burundi, but also the rise of regional humanitarian crisis following the massive influx of refugees from Burundi into the DRC, Rwanda and Tanzania. “The refugee camps became breeding grounds for Hutu radicalism and future uprisings’ (Rodt, 2011:7). Two major rebel groups were formed in this process: the National Council for the Defence of Democracy–Forces for the Defence of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) and the Party for the Liberation of the Hutu People - National Forces of Liberation (PALIPEHUTU)-FNL, each of which have fragmented further since then (Boshoff et al., 2010; Svensson, 2008).
Although much of the violence experienced in the early part of the conflict has subsided, there remains unresolved grievances and political instability that continues to threaten the extent of peace and inter-ethnic cooperation in the country. Nevertheless, the conflict in the country prompted a number of interventions that were the basis for missions set out by South Africa, the African Union and the United Nations.
B. Context of
Burundi has experienced decades of conflict since gaining its independence in 1962 from Belgium. The violent conflicts that …show more content…
Cyprien Ntaryamira, a Minister of Agriculture was [contentiously] elected by the Assembly to become a new President and sworn into office in February 1994. Unfortunately, Ntaryamina was also killed along with the Rwanda President Habyarimana in April 1994 when unknown rebels shot down their plane. By 1996, FRODEBU and other Hutu militias had almost been alienated and dominated by UPRONA – broadly composed of the army and the Tutsi political …show more content…
Therefore, the need for a peace process was not only because of the violence within Burundi, but also the rise of regional humanitarian crisis following the massive influx of refugees from Burundi into the DRC, Rwanda and Tanzania. “The refugee camps became breeding grounds for Hutu radicalism and future uprisings’ (Rodt, 2011:7). Two major rebel groups were formed in this process: the National Council for the Defence of Democracy–Forces for the Defence of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) and the Party for the Liberation of the Hutu People - National Forces of Liberation (PALIPEHUTU)-FNL, each of which have fragmented further since then (Boshoff et al., 2010; Svensson, 2008).
Although much of the violence experienced in the early part of the conflict has subsided, there remains unresolved grievances and political instability that continues to threaten the extent of peace and inter-ethnic cooperation in the country. Nevertheless, the conflict in the country prompted a number of interventions that were the basis for missions set out by South Africa, the African Union and the United Nations.
B. Context of