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Burundi is one of the few countries in Africa, along with its closely linked neighbour Rwanda among others, to be a direct territorial continuation of an ancient African state. Burundi (buˈɾundi officially the Republic of Burundi, is a small country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda The Republic of Rwanda (ruːˈændə or /rəˈwɑːndə/ in English ɾwanda or in Kinyarwanda is a small Landlocked country in the

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Kingdom of Burundi

Origins of Burundi are known from a mix of oral history and archaeology. Oral history can be defined as the recording preservation and interpretation of historical information, based on the personal experiences and opinions of the speaker Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos There are two main founding legends for Burundi. The one most promoted today tells a tale of a Rwandan named Cambarantama founding the nation. The other version, more common in pre-colonial Burundi, says that Cambarantama came from the southern state of Buha. The notion of Rwandan origins for the kingdom was promoted by the European colonizers for it fit their ideals of a ruling class coming to the area from the Hamitic northeast. See Colony and Colonization for examples of colonialism which do not refer to Western colonialism Hamitic is an obsolete ethno-linguistic classification of some Ethnic groups within the Afro-Asiatic (previously termed "Hamito-Semitic" language family The theory has continued to be the semi-official dogma of the modern Burundian state. Historians doubt the Hamitic origins of the Tutsis, but it is still believed that their ancestors migrated from the north to what is now Burundi in the 15th century. The first evidence of the Burundian state is from 16th century where it emerged on the eastern foothills. Over the next centuries it expanded, annexing smaller neighbours and competing with Rwanda. Its greatest growth occurred under Ntare Rugamba, who ruled the nation from about 1796 to 1850 and saw the kingdom double in size.

The Kingdom of Burundi was characterized by a hierarchical political authority and tributary economic exchange. The king, known as the mwami headed a princely aristocracy (ganwa) which owned most of the land and required a tribute, or tax, from local farmers and herders. Mwami (IPAmwɑmi/mŋɑmi is the chiefly title in Kirundi and Kinyarwanda, the Congolese Nande and Bashi languages Luhya in Kenya Aristocracy is a form of Government, where rule is established through an internal struggle over who has the most status and influence over society and internal relations 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. The Tutsi are one of three native Peoples of the nations of Rwanda and Burundi in central Africa, the other two being the Twa

Although European explorers and missionaries made brief visits to the area as early as 1856, it was not until 1899 that Burundi became a part of German East Africa. German East Africa (Deutsch-Ostafrika was a German Colony in East Africa, including what is now Burundi, Rwanda and Tanganyika Unlike the Rwandan monarchy which decided to accept the German advances, the Burundian king Mwezi Gisabo opposed all European influence, refusing to wear European clothing and resisting the advance of European missionaries or administrators. Mwami Mwezi IV Gisabo Bikata-Bijoga (1840 &ndash 1908 was the king of Burundi from 1852 to 1908 The Germans used armed force and succeeded in doing great damage, but did not destroy the king’s power. Eventually they backed one of the king's sons-in-law Maconco in a revolt against Gisabo. Gisabo was eventually forced to concede and agreed to German suzerainty. Suzerainty (ˈsjuːzərənti RP or /ˈsjuːzəreɪnti/ RP) (/ˈsuːzərənti/ GA) is a situation in which a Region or people is a The Germans then helped him suppress Maconco's revolt. The smaller kingdoms along the western shore of Lake Victoria were also attached to Burundi. Lake Victoria or Victoria Nyanza (also known as Ukerewe and Nalubaale) is one of the Great Lakes of Africa.

Colonial rule

Even after this the foreign presence was minimal and the kings continued to rule much as before. The Europeans did, however, bring devastating diseases affecting both people and animals. Affecting the entire region, Burundi was especially hard hit. A great famine hit in 1905, with others striking the entire Great Lakes region in 1914, 1923, and 1944. The Great Lakes of Africa are a series of Lakes in and around the geographic Great Rift Valley formed by the action of the tectonic East African Between 1905 and 1914 half the population of the western plains region died.

In 1916 Belgian troops conquered the area during the First World War. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All In 1923, the League of Nations mandated to Belgium the territory of Ruanda-Urundi, encompassing modern-day Rwanda and Burundi, but stripping the western kingdoms and giving them to British administered Tanganyika. The League of Nations was an International organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919–1920 Ruanda-Urundi was a Belgian Suzerainty from 1916 to 1924 a League of Nations Class B Mandate from 1924 to 1945 and then a UN trust territory Tanganyika is the name of an East African territory lying between the largest of the African great lakes Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika The Belgians administered the territory through indirect rule, building on the Tutsi-dominated aristocratic hierarchy. The Tutsi are one of three native Peoples of the nations of Rwanda and Burundi in central Africa, the other two being the Twa

Following World War II, Ruanda-Urundi became a United Nations Trust Territory under Belgian administrative authority. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including 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. The Union for National Progress ( French: Union pour le Progrès national, UPRONA is a Nationalist Political party in Burundi, receiving Prince Louis Rwagasore ( 10 January, 1932 - 13 October, 1961) was a Burundi nationalist and prime minister. In 1961, Prince Rwagasore was assassinated following an UPRONA victory in legislative elections.

(* Burundi Royalty come from the BAHANZA clan)

Independence

Full independence was achieved on July 1, 1962. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In the context of weak democratic institutions at independence, Tutsi (*) King Mwambutsa IV established a constitutional monarchy comprising equal numbers of Hutus and Tutsis. King Mwambutsa IV Bangiriceng ( 1912 - April 26, 1977) was the king of Burundi from December 16 1915 to July 8 The The 1965 assassination of the Hutu prime minister set in motion a series of destabilizing Hutu revolts and subsequent governmental repression. These were in part in reaction to events in Rwanda where Tutsis were being killed by a Hutu nationalist regime. In Burundi the Tutsi became committed to ensuring they would not meet the same fate and much of the country's military and police forces became controlled by Tutsis. Unlike Rwanda, which allied itself with the United States in the Cold War, Burundi after independence became affiliated with China. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National

In 1966, King Mwambutsa IV was deposed by his son, Prince Ntare V, who himself was deposed by his prime minister Capt. King Ntare V Ndizeye (1947-1972 was the King of Burundi briefly in 1966 Michel Micombero in the same year. Michel Micombero (1940&ndash July 16, 1983) was the first President of Burundi from November 28, 1966 to November He abolished the monarchy and declared a republic. A de facto military regime emerged and civil unrest continued throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s.

In late April 1972, a Hutu attack on a hill locality, situated in the south of the country, where most military officers were born, triggered a military reprisal. Such a repression by the army and the militia of the Uprona political party, whose members were ethnically related to the army, was systematic and more efficient in terms of inflicting humiliating defeat and human destruction. Lists were compiled of men, women and schoolchildren suspected of being potential threats, sympathisers themselves of rebels and those who had taken part in rebellion. Those named were sought out of schools, homes and killed by soldiers. About 200, 000 Hutus are believed to have perished within a period of three months all over the country. The number of asylum seekers (mainly of Hutu stock) rose to more than 150,000 (over 15% of the total population of that time) by the end of six months. In an effort to attract sympathy from the United States, the Tutsi-dominated government accused the Hutu rebels of having Communist leanings, although there is no credible evidence that this was actually the case. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based

In 1976, Colonel Jean-Baptiste Bagaza took power in a bloodless coup. Jean-Baptiste Bagaza (born 1946 was chairman of the Supreme Revolutionary Council in Burundi until November 10, 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. Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state After his election, Bagaza's human rights record deteriorated as he suppressed religious activities and detained political opposition members.

In 1987, Major Pierre Buyoya overthrew Col. Major Pierre Buyoya (born 24 November 1949) is a Burundi politician who has ruled Burundi twice from 1987 to 1993 and from 1996 to 2003 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, nonethnic government, and a parliament. Burundi's first Hutu president, Melchior Ndadaye, of the Hutu-dominated Front for Democracy in Burundi (FRODEBU) Party, was elected in 1993. Melchior Ndadaye ( March 28, 1953 &ndash October 21, 1993) was a Burundian intellectual and politician The Front for Democracy in Burundi ( French: Front pour la Démocratie au Burundi, FRODEBU) is a progressive Political party Burundi ’s second Multiparty presidential election since independence in 1962 was held on 1 June 1993. He was assassinated by factions of the Tutsi-dominated armed forces in October 1993. The country 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. The Burundi Civil War was an armed conflict lasting from 1993 to 2005 Cyprien Ntaryamira ( March 6, 1955 - April 6, 1994) was President of Burundi from February 5, 1994 until he Nonetheless, the security situation continued to deteriorate.

In April 1994, President Ntaryamira and Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana died in a plane crash. Juvénal Habyarimana ( March 8, 1937 &ndash April 6, 1994) was a Rwandan Hutu politician who was president of This act marked the beginning of the Rwandan genocide, while in Burundi, the death of Ntaryamira exacerbated the violence and unrest, although there was no general massacre. Sylvestre Ntibantunganya was installed to a 4-year presidency on April 8, but the security situation further declined. Sylvestre Ntibantunganya (born Gishubi Gitega May 8, 1956) is a Burundi Politician. Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian The influx of hundreds of thousands of Rwandan refugees and the activities of armed Hutu and Tutsi groups further destabilized the regime.

On July 25, 1996, the government was overthrown in a coup led by Buyoya. Events 285 - Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) The civil war continued, despite the efforts of the international community to create a peace process. Progress has been made since 2001, when a power-sharing government was created, and in 2003, Domitien Ndayizeye, the Hutu vice-president, became president as mandated by the power-sharing agreement. Domitien Ndayizeye (born May 2, 1953 in Murango Kayanza Province) is a former president of Burundi.

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). The Republic of Burundi held several elections in 2005. The polls returned the nation to constitutional democratic rule after a devastating civil The National Council for the Defense of Democracy&ndashForces for the Defense of Democracy ( French: Conseil National Pour la Défense de la Démocratie&ndashForces pour

(* Burundi Kingdom come from the Bahanza clan)

Genocide and mass killings

A tentative attempt of genocide against the Tutsi prepared by Hutu extremists but caught by the government in the late 1960s led to a well prepared genocide against the Hutu, mostly the intellectuals, in Burundi in 1972 and an estimated 100,000 Hutu and moderate Tutsi died. The Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The The Tutsi are one of three native Peoples of the nations of Rwanda and Burundi in central Africa, the other two being the Twa Those who participated in that genocide are free after the current government of Burundi continues to urge all the people to forgive each other for all of the killings. In 1993, Burundi's first democratically elected Hutu president, Melchior Ndadaye, was assassinated by Tutsi extremists. Melchior Ndadaye ( March 28, 1953 &ndash October 21, 1993) was a Burundian intellectual and politician His assassination was followed by a long civil war that killed both Hutu and Tutsi. A 1996 UN report into Ndadaye's assassination and its aftermath[1], concluded that "acts of genocide against the Tutsi minority were committed in Burundi in October 1993". The report also implicated senior figures in Burundi's Tutsi-dominated army in the assassination. In Burundi, both Hutu and Tutsi civilians have been targets of mass killings and acts of genocide organized by the state and by armed militia groups. The current government is made up of both Hutu and Tutsi. The Military is made up of both former Hutu rebels and former Tutsi government soldiers. The restoration of a multi-ethnic, multi-party democracy has seen renewed expectations of an end to Burundi's conflict.

With a population of 7. 8 million and GNP per capita of $90, Burundi is considered the poorest country in the world. The landlocked country is bordered by Rwanda, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Republic of Rwanda (ruːˈændə or /rəˈwɑːndə/ in English ɾwanda or in Kinyarwanda is a small Landlocked country in the Tanzania ˌtænzəˈniːə officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya The Democratic Republic of the Congo (République démocratique du Congo often referred to as DR Congo, DRC or RDC, and formerly known or referred to Formerly known as Urundi, the country gained its independence in 1962 after being run by Germany and then Belgium since 1884. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Year 1884 ( MDCCCLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year

Burundi has been desecrated by bloody battles, civil unrest, and mass murdering since it gained independence. The Hutus constitute 85 percent of the population, but have historically been dominated by the minority Tutsis. Despite the assassinations of nine leaders and the massacre in 1972, fighting remained minimal in the country for the next 20 years until the first democratically elected president, a Hutu named Melchior Ndadaye, was killed by Tutsi paratroopers in 1993. Melchior Ndadaye ( March 28, 1953 &ndash October 21, 1993) was a Burundian intellectual and politician The Tutsi are one of three native Peoples of the nations of Rwanda and Burundi in central Africa, the other two being the Twa Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar)

As a result of the murder, violence broke out between the two groups, and an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 people died within a year. In 1994, Ndadaye’s successor was killed in the same plane crash with Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana. Juvénal Habyarimana ( March 8, 1937 &ndash April 6, 1994) was a Rwandan Hutu politician who was president of After the assassination, the Hutu presidency and Tutsi military operated under a power-sharing political system until 1996, when Tutsi Major Buyoya replaced the Hutu president in a coup. In 1998, Buyoya and the opposition-led Hutu parliament reached an agreement to sign a transitional constitution, and Buyoya was sworn in as president.

Fighting still remained between Tutsi and Hutu groups, and ceasefire talks, named the Arusha Accords, were held in Tanzania in 2000, facilitated by Nelson Mandela. In African history the Arusha Accords (also the Arusha Peace Agreement or the Arusha negotiations were a set of five accords (or protocols signed in Arusha Tanzania on August Tanzania ˌtænzəˈniːə officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (xolíɬaɬa mandéːla born 18 July 1918 is a former President of South Africa, the first to be elected in fully representative The Accords established a transitional government, where the presidency and vice-presidency would be rotated every 18 months, sharing power between the Hutus and Tutsis. While the government and three Tutsi groups signed the ceasefire accord, two leading Hutu rebel groups refused to participate, and the fighting continued.

The transitional government was implemented in October 2001. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Main Hutu rebel groups had still refused to sign a ceasefire agreement at this time, and 500 rebels were killed in their own attack against the Tutsi army on December 25, 2001. This resulted in increased fighting for several months.

In July 2003, Domitien Ndayizeye, a Hutu, took over as president of the transitional government, and Buyoya stepped down. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Domitien Ndayizeye (born May 2, 1953 in Murango Kayanza Province) is a former president of Burundi. Along with the main Hutu rebel group, Forces for Defense of Democracy (FDD), President Ndayizeye signed a ceasefire agreement at a summit of African leaders in Tanzania in November 2003. Tanzania ˌtænzəˈniːə officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya Under the agreement, the FDD became a political party, and it was decided that rebel Hutu fights were to be integrated into the predominately-Tutsi armed forces.

Disaster occurred in 2004 when the Hutu rebel group, Forces of National Liberation (FNL), claimed responsibility for killing 160 Congolese Tutsi refugees in a United Nations camp near the Congo border in Burundi. The attack was strongly condemned by the U.N. Security Council, which issued a statement of outrage at the fact that “most of the victims were women, children and babies who were shot dead and burned in their shelters. ” citation The Council called on the top U. N. envoy in Burundi to investigate the incident with a U. N. representative from Congo, a step that increased U.N. intervention in the Burundi civil war. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security A few months later in December, U. N. and government forces began to disarm thousands of Burundi soldiers and former rebels.

In 2005, many developments were made in the peace process. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The president signed a law in January 2005 to initiate a new national army, consisting of Tutsi military forces and all but one Hutu rebel groups. The Constitution was approved by voters in a referendum—marking the first time for Burundians to vote since 1994. They voted again in the July during the legislative elections, in which “the Government of Burundi and the Independent National Electoral Commission conducted a technically-sound election, carried out in an atmosphere of peace and security. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC set up in 1998 is the electoral body which was set up to oversee elections in Nigeria; it is chaired by Maurice Iwu ” The FDD ended up being the winning party for the parliamentary elections. Several months later, Pierre Nkurunziza, from the Hutu FDD group, was elected as president by the two Hutu-dominated houses of parliament. Pierre Nkurunziza (b 18 December, 1963) is the President of Burundi and chairman of the National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the

After 12 years of living with a midnight-to-dawn curfew, Burundians were free to stay out late when the curfew was lifted in April 2006 for the first time since 1993. This signified the most stable point in Burundi civil affairs since the assassination of Hutu President Ndadaye and the beginning of the civil war.

Matters continued to look prosperous after Burundi’s last rebel group, the Force for National Liberation (FNL) signed a ceasefire deal in Tanzania, “solidifying the end of a 12-year civil war. Tanzania ˌtænzəˈniːə officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya ” citation As part of the agreement, members of the FNL were to be assembled, demobilized, and integrated into the national army.

Former President Ndayizeye and his political supporters were arrested in 2006 and accused of plotting a coup, but later he was acquitted by the Supreme Court. International human rights groups claimed that the current government was framing Ndayizeye by torturing him into false confessions of the coup plot. Along with these accusations, in December 2006 the International Crisis Group labeled Burundi’s government with a “deteriorating” status in its treatment of human rights. The International Crisis Group ( ICG) is an independent international Non-profit, Non-governmental organization whose mission is to prevent and resolve The organization reported that the government had arrested critics, muzzled the press, committed human rights abuses, and tightened its control over the economy, and that “unless it [reversed] this authoritarian course, it risk[ed] triggering violent unrest and losing the gains of peace process. ” citation

In February 2007, the U.N. officially shut down its peacekeeping operations in Burundi and turned its attention to rebuilding the nation’s economy, which relies heavily on tea and coffee but suffered severely during 12 years of civil war. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Peacekeeping, as defined by the United Nations, is "a way to help countries torn by conflict create conditions for sustainable peace The U. N. had deployed 5,600 peacekeepers since 2004, and several hundred troops remained to work with the African Union in monitoring the ceasefire. The African Union (abbreviated AU in English, and UA in its other working languages is a Confederation consisting of 53  African A ceasefire (or truce) is a temporary stoppage of a War or any Armed conflict, where each side of the conflict agrees The U. N. donated $35 million to Burundi to work on infrastructure, promote democratic practices, rebuild the military, and defend human rights. Human rights refers to the "basic Rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled

SOS Children, an NGO, claims success in the use of ARVs and condoms to combat AIDS when sample testing showed that the amount of those whom were HIV positive were 20 percent. A condom is a device most commonly used during Sexual intercourse. The death toll due to the syndrome has still been devastating with the UN estimating 25,000 deaths in 2001 and Oxfam estimating 45,000 dead in 2003.

See also

References

External links

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