Its capital isBujumbura. Although the country is landlocked, much of the southwestern border is adjacent to Lake Tanganyika.
The Twa, Tutsi, and Hutu peoples have occupied Burundi since the country's formation five centuries ago. Burundi was ruled as a kingdom by the Tutsi for over two hundred years. HP Pavilion DV9601AU Battery
However, at the beginning of the twentieth century, Germany and Belgium occupied the region, and Burundi and Rwanda became a European colony known as Ruanda-Urundi.
Political unrest occurred throughout the region, in part, because of social differences between the Tutsi and Hutu, provoking civil war in Burundi throughout the middle twentieth century. HP Pavilion DV9601TX Battery
Presently, Burundi is governed as a presidential representative democratic republic.
Burundi is one of the five poorest countries in the world. It has one of the lowest per capita GDPs of any nation in the world.[5] HP Pavilion DV9602AU Battery
Burundi has a low gross domestic product largely due to civil wars, corruption, poor access to education, and the effects of HIV/AIDS. Burundi is densely populated, with substantial emigration. Cobalt and copper are among Burundi's natural resources. Some of Burundi's main exports include coffee and sugar. HP Pavilion DV9602TX Battery
Belgian mandate
After its defeat in World War I, Germany handed control of a section of the former German East Africa to Belgium.[6] On October 20, 1924, this land, which consisted of modern-day Rwanda and Burundi, HP Pavilion DV9603AU Battery
became a Belgian League of Nations mandate territory, in practical terms part of the Belgian colonial empire, known as Ruanda-Urundi. However, the Belgians allowed Ruanda-Urundi to continue its kingship dynasty.[1][7] HP Pavilion DV9603TX Battery
Following World War II, Ruanda-Urundi was a United Nations Trust Territory under Belgian administrative authority.[1]During the 1940s, a series of policies caused divisions throughout the country. On October 4, 1943, powers were split in the legislative division of Burundi's government between chiefdoms and lower chiefdoms.
Chiefdoms were in charge of land, and lower sub-chiefdoms were established. Native authorities also had powers.[7] In 1948, Belgium allowed the region to form political parties.[6] These factions would be one of the main influences for Burundi's independence from Belgium. HP Pavilion DV9604AU Battery
Independence and civil war
On January 20, 1959, Burundi's ruler Mwami Mwambutsa IV requested from the Belgian Minister of Colonies a separation of Burundi and Rwanda and a dissolution of Ruanda-Urundi.[8] HP Pavilion DV9604TX Battery
Six months later, political parties were formed to bring attention to Burundi's independence from Europe and to separate Rwanda from Burundi.[8] The first of these political parties was the Union for National Progress (UPRONA).
Burundi's push for independence was influenced to some extent by the instability and ethnic persecution that occurred in Rwanda. HP Pavilion DV9605TX Battery
In November 1959, Rwandese Hutu attacked the Tutsi and massacred them by the thousands. Many Tutsi escaped to Uganda and Burundi to find freedom from persecution.[9] The Hutu took power in Rwanda by winning Belgian-run elections in 1960.[10][11] HP Pavilion DV9605XX Battery
The UPRONA, a multi-ethnic unity party led by Prince Louis Rwagasore and the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) became the most prominent organizations throughout Burundi-Urundi. After UPRONA's victory in legislative elections, HP Pavilion DV9606CA Battery
Prince Rwagasore was assassinated on October 13 in 1961, allegedly with the help of the Belgian colonial administration.[6][12]
The country claimed independence on July 1, 1962,[6] and legally changed its name from Ruanda-Urundi to Burundi.[13] HP Pavilion DV9606TX Battery
Mwami Mwambutsa IV was named king.[10] On September 18, 1962, just over two months after declaring independence from Belgium, Burundi joined the United Nations.[14]
Upon Burundi’s independence, a constitutional monarchy was established and both Hutus and Tutsis were represented in parliament. HP Pavilion DV9607TX Battery
When King Mwambutsa appointed a Tutsi prime minister, the Hutus, who were the majority in parliament, felt cheated. An ensuing attempted coup by the Hutu-dominated police was ruthlessly suppressed by the Army, then led by a Tutsi officer, Captain Michel Micombero.[15] When the next Hutu Prime Minister, Pierre Ngendandumwe, HP Pavilion DV9607XX Battery
was assassinated in 1965, Hutus engaged in a series of attacks on Tutsi, which the government repressed ruthlessly, fearing the killings of Tutsis by Hutus, who wanted to follow the "Model Rwanda". The Burundi police and military were now brought under the control of the Tutsi. HP Pavilion DV9590ED Battery
Mwambutsa was deposed in 1966 by his son, Prince Ntare V, who claimed the throne. That same year, Tutsi Prime Minister Captain Michel Micombero deposed Ntare, abolished the monarchy, and declared the nation a republic, though it was in effect a military regime.[16] HP Pavilion DV9590EG Battery
In 1972, an all Hutu organization known as Umugambwe w'Abakozi b'Uburundi or Burundi Workers' Party (UBU) organized and carried out systematic attacks on ethnic Tutsi with the declared intent of annihilating the whole group.[17] The military regime responded with large-scale reprisals targeting Hutus. HP Pavilion DV9590ER Battery
The total number of casualties was never established, but estimates for the Tutsi genocide and the reprisals on the Hutus together are said to exceed 100,000 at the very least, with a similar number of asylum-seekers in Tanzania and Rwanda. In 1976, another Tutsi, Colonel Jean-Baptiste Bagaza, HP Pavilion DV9590ET Battery
led a bloodless coup and promoted various reforms. A new constitution was promulgated in 1981, keeping Burundi a one-party state.[15] In August 1984, Bagaza was elected head of state. During his tenure, Bagaza suppressed political opponents and religious freedoms. HP Pavilion DV9590EZ Battery
Major Pierre Buyoya, a Tutsi, overthrew Bagaza in 1987 and suspended the constitution, dissolved the political parties, and reinstated military rule under the Military Committee for National Salvation (CSMN).[15] Anti-Tutsi ethnic propaganda disseminated by the remnants of the 1972 UBU, HP Pavilion DV9592EF Battery
which had re-organized as PALIPEHUTU in 1981, led to killings of Tutsi peasants in the northern communes of Ntega and Marangara in August 1988. The death toll was put at 5,000 by the government, though some international NGOs believe this understates the losses. HP Pavilion DV9592XX Battery
The new regime did not unleash harsh reprisals (as in 1972), but the trust it gained was soon eroded when it decreed an amnesty for those who had called for, carried out, and taken credit for the killings on ethnic grounds, which amounts to genocide in international law. HP Pavilion DV9595AU Battery
Many analysts consider this period as the beginning of the "culture of impunity." But other analysts consider the "culture of impunity" to have started from 1965 and 1972, when the revolt of a small and identifiable number of Hutus unleashed massive killings of Tutsis on the whole territory. HP Pavilion DV9595EA Battery
In the aftermath of the killings, a group of Hutu intellectuals wrote an open letter to Pierre Buyoya, asking for more representation of the Hutus in the administration. The signatories were sent to prison. Nevertheless, only a few weeks later, Buyoya appointed a new government with an equal number of Hutu and Tutsi, and a Hutu, HP Pavilion DV9595XX Battery
Adrien Sibomana, as Prime Minister. Buyoya also created a commission in charge of addressing the issue of national unity.[15] In 1992, a new constitution that provided for multi-party system was promulgated,[15] and a civil war sprang up from Burundi's core. HP Pavilion DV9596XX Battery
An estimated 250,000 people died between 1962 and 1993.[18] Since Burundi's independence in 1962, there have been two events called genocides in the country. The 1972 mass killings of Hutus by the Tutsi-dominated army,[19] HP Pavilion DV9597XX Battery
and the 1993 mass killings of Tutsis by the Hutu populace are both described as genocide in the final report of the International Commission of Inquiry for Burundi presented to the United Nations Security Council in 2002.[20] HP Pavilion DV9598XX Battery
First attempt at democracy
In June 1993, Melchior Ndadaye, leader of the Hutu-dominated Front for Democracy in Burundi (FRODEBU), won the first democratic election and became the first Hutu head of state, leading a pro-Hutu government. HP Pavilion DV9599ED Battery
However, in October 1993, Tutsi soldiers assassinated Ndadaye, which started further years of violence between Hutus and Tutsis. It is estimated that some 300,000 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the years following the assassination.[21]
In early 1994, the parliament elected Cyprien Ntaryamira, also a Hutu, to the office of president. HP Pavilion DV9599XX Battery
He and the president of Rwanda both died together when their airplane was shot down. More refugees started fleeing to Rwanda. Another Hutu, parliament speaker Sylvestre Ntibantunganya was appointed as president in October 1994. HP Pavilion DV9575EP Battery
Within months, a wave of ethnic violence began, starting with the massacre of Hutu refugees in the capital, Bujumbura, and the withdrawal of the mainly Tutsi Union for National Progress from the government and parliament.
In 1996, Pierre Buyoya, a Tutsi, took power through a coup d’état. HP Pavilion DV9575ES Battery
He suspended the constitution and was sworn in as president in 1998. In response to the rebel attacks, the population was forced by the government to relocate to refugee camps.[22] Under his rule, long peace talks started, mediated by South Africa. Both parties signed agreements in Arusha, Tanzania and Pretoria, South Africa, to share power in Burundi. HP Pavilion DV9575LA Battery
The agreements took four years to plan, and on August 28, 2000, a transitional government for Burundi was planned as a part of the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement. The transitional government was placed on a trial basis for five years. After several aborted cease-fires, a 2001 peace plan and power sharing agreement has been relatively successful. HP Pavilion DV9575NR Battery
A cease-fire was signed in 2003 between the Tutsi-controlled Burundian government and the largest Hutu rebel group, CNDD-FDD (National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy).[23] HP Pavilion DV9575XX Battery
In 2003, FRODEBU Hutu leader Domitien Ndayizeye was elected president.[24] In early 2005, ethnic quotas were formed for determining positions in Burundi's government. Throughout the year, elections for parliament and president occurred.[25][dead link] HP Pavilion DV9576EA Battery
As of 2008, the Burundian government is talking with the Hutu-led Palipehutu-National Liberation Forces (NLF)[26] to bring peace to the country.[27] In 2005, Pierre Nkurunziza, once a leader of a Hutu rebel group, was elected to president. HP Pavilion DV9576XX Battery
Peace agreements
African leaders began a series of peace talks between the warring factions following a request by the United Nations Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali for them to intervene in the humanitarian crisis. HP Pavilion DV9580ED Battery
Talks were initiated under the aegis of former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere in 1995; following his death, South African President Nelson Mandela took the helm. As the talks progressed, South African President Thabo Mbeki and United States President Bill Clinton also lent their respective weight. HP Pavilion DV9580EE Battery
The peace talks took the form of Track I mediations. This method of negotiation can be defined as a form of diplomacy involving governmental or intergovernmental representatives, who may use their positive reputations, mediation or the “carrot and stick” method as a means of obtaining or forcing an outcome, frequently along the lines of “bargaining” or “win-lose”.[28] HP Pavilion DV9580EG Battery
The main objective framing the talks was a structural transformation of the Burundian government and military as a way to bridge the ethnic gap between the Tutsis and Hutus. This would be accomplished in two ways. First, a transitional power sharing government would be established, with the presidents holding office for three year terms. HP Pavilion DV9580EL Battery
The second objective involved a restructuring of the military, where the two groups would be represented equally.
As the protracted nature of the peace talks demonstrated, there were several obstacles facing the mediators and negotiating parties. HP Pavilion DV9580EN Battery
First, the Burundian officials perceived the goals as “unrealistic” and viewed the treaty as ambiguous, contradictory and confusing. Second, and perhaps most importantly, the Burundians believed the treaty would be irrelevant without an accompanying cease fire. HP Pavilion DV9580EO Battery
This would require separate and direct talks with the rebel groups. The main Hutu party was skeptical of the offer of a power-sharing government; they alleged that they were deceived by the Tutsis in past agreements.[29]
In 2000, the Burundian President signed the treaty, as well as 13 of the 19 warring Hutu and Tutsi factions. HP Pavilion DV9580ET Battery
However, disagreements persisted over which group would preside over the nascent government and when the ceasefire would commence. The spoilers of the peace talks were the hardliner Tutsi and Hutu groups who refused to sign the accord; as a result, violence intensified. HP Pavilion DV9580EZ Battery
Three years later at a summit of African leaders in Tanzania, the Burundian president and the main opposition Hutu group signed an accord to end the conflict; the signatory members were granted ministerial posts within the government. However, smaller militant Hutu groups – such as the Forces for National Liberation – remained active. HP Pavilion DV9580US Battery
UN involvement
Between 1993 and 2003, many rounds of peace talks, overseen by regional leaders in Tanzania, South Africa, and Uganda, gradually established power-sharing agreements to satisfy the majority of the contending groups. HP Pavilion DV9580XX Battery
African Union (AU) peacekeepers were deployed to help oversee the installation of a transitional government. In June 2004, the UN stepped in and took over peacekeeping responsibilities as a signal of growing international support for the already markedly advanced peace process in Burundi.[30] HP Pavilion DV9581EE Battery
The mission’s mandate, under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, has been to monitor cease-fire; carry out disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of former combatants; support humanitarian assistance and refugee and IDP return; assist with elections; protect international staff and Burundian civilians; HP Pavilion DV9581XX Battery
monitor Burundi’s troublesome borders including halting illicit arms flows; and assist in carrying out institutional reforms including those of the Constitution, judiciary, armed forces, and police. The mission has been allotted 5,650 military personnel, 120 civilian police, and about 1,000 international and local civilian personnel. HP Pavilion DV9585EG Battery
The mission has been functioning well and has greatly benefited from the existence of a fairly functional transitional government, which is in the process of transitioning into a more legitimate, elected entity.[30] HP Pavilion DV9585EL Battery
The main difficulty the operation faced at first was the continued resistance to the peace process by the last Tutsi nationalist rebel group. This organization continued its violent conflict on the outskirts of the capital despite the UN’s presence. HP Pavilion DV9589EF Battery
By June 2005, the group had stopped fighting and was brought back into the political process. All political parties have accepted a formula for inter-ethnic power-sharing, which means no political party can gain access to government offices unless it is ethnically integrated.[30] HP Pavilion DV9589XX Battery
The focus of the UN’s mission had been to enshrine the power-sharing arrangements in a popularly voted constitution, so that elections may be held and a new government installed. Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration were done in tandem with elections preparations. HP Pavilion DV9590EA Battery
In February 2005, the Constitution was approved with over 90% of the popular vote. In May, June, and August 2005, three separate elections were also held at the local level for the Parliament and the presidency. HP Pavilion DV9570XX Battery
While there are still some difficulties with refugee returns and securing adequate food supplies for the war-weary population, the mission has managed to win the trust and confidence of a majority of the formerly warring leaders as well as the population at large.[30] HP Pavilion DV9571EO Battery
It has also been involved with several “quick impact” projects including rehabilitating and building schools, orphanages, health clinics, and rebuilding infrastructure such as water lines.
2006 to present
Reconstruction efforts in Burundi started to practically take effect after 2006. HP Pavilion DV9571XX Battery
The UN shut down its peacekeeping mission and re-focused on helping with reconstruction.[31] Toward achieving economic reconstruction, Rwanda, D.R.Congo and Burundi relaunched the regional economic bloc: The Great Lakes Countries Economic Community.[31] HP Pavilion DV9572EA Battery
In addition, Burundi, along with Rwanda, joined the East African Community in 2007.
However, the terms of the September 2006 Ceasefire between the government and the last remaining armed opposition group, the FLN(Forces for National Liberation, also called NLF or FROLINA), HP Pavilion DV9572EL Battery
were not totally implemented, and senior FLN members subsequently left the truce monitoring team, claiming that their security was threatened.[32] In September 2007, rival FLN factions clashed in the capital, killing 20 fighters and causing residents to begin fleeing. Rebel raids were reported in other parts of the country.[31] HP Pavilion DV9572EO Battery
The rebel factions disagreed with the government over disarmament and the release of political prisoners.[33] In late 2007 and early 2008, FLN combatants attacked government-protected camps where former combatants were living. The homes of rural residents were also pillaged.[33] HP Pavilion DV9572XX Battery
The 2007 report[33] of Amnesty International mentions many areas where improvement is required. Civilians are victims of repeated acts of violence done by the FLN. The latter also recruits child soldiers. The rate of violence against women is high. Perpetrators regularly escape prosecution and punishment by the state. HP Pavilion DV9574EA Battery
There is an urgent need for reform of the judicial system. Genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity remain unpunished. The establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission and a Special Tribunal for investigation and prosecution has not yet been implemented. HP Pavilion DV9574LA Battery
The freedom of expression is limited; journalists are frequently arrested for carrying out legitimate professional activities. A total of 38,087 Burundian refugees have been repatriated between January and November 2007. HP Pavilion DV9575EM Battery
In late March 2008, the FLN sought for the parliament to adopt a law guaranteeing them ‘provisional immunity’ from arrest. This would cover ordinary crimes, but not grave violations of international humanitarian law like war crimes or crimes against humanity .[33] HP Pavilion DV9575EN Battery
Even though the government has granted this in the past to people, the FLN has been unable to obtain the provisional immunity.
On April 17, 2008, the FLN bombarded Bujumbura. The Burundian army fought back and the FLN suffered heavy losses. HP Pavilion DV9575EO Battery
A new ceasefire was signed on May 26, 2008. In August 2008, President Nkurunziza met with the FLN leader Agathon Rwasa, with the mediation of Charles Nqakula, South Africa’s Minister for Safety and Security. This was the first direct meeting since June 2007. HP Pavilion DV9548US Battery
Both agree to meet twice a week to establish a commission to resolve any disputes that might arise during the peace negotiations.[34]
Refugee camps are now closing down, and 450,000 refugees have returned. The economy of the country is shattered – Burundi has the lowest per capita gross income in the world. HP Pavilion DV9550EO Battery
With the return of refugees, amongst others, property conflicts have started.
Politics
Burundi's political system is that of a presidential representative democratic republic based upon a multi-party state. The President of Burundi is the head of state and head of government. HP Pavilion DV9550EP Battery
There are currently 21 registered parties in Burundi.[6] On March 13, 1992, Tutsi coup leader Pierre Buyoya established a constitution,[35] which provided for a multi-party political process[36] and reflected multi-party competition. HP Pavilion DV9552ES Battery
Six years later, on June 6, 1998, the constitution was changed, broadeningNational Assembly's seats and making provisions for two vice presidents. Because of the Arusha Accord, Burundi enacted a transitional government in 2000.[37]
Burundi's legislative branch is a bicameral assembly, consisting of the Transitional National Assembly and the Transitional Senate. HP Pavilion DV9552XX Battery
As of 2004, the Transitional National Assembly consists of 170 members, with the Front for Democracy in Burundi holding 38% of seats, and 10% of the assembly is controlled by UPRONA. Fifty-two seats are controlled by other parties. HP Pavilion DV9555EG Battery
Burundi's constitution mandates representation in the Transitional National Assembly to be consistent with 60% Hutu, 40% Tutsi, and 30% female members, as well as three Batwa members.[6] Members of the National Assembly are elected by popular vote and serve for five year terms.[38] HP Pavilion DV9555EO Battery
The Transitional Senate has fifty-one members, and three seats are reserved for former presidents. Due to stipulations in Burundi's constitution, 30% of Senate members must be female. Members of the Senate are elected by electoral colleges, which consist of members from each of Burundi's provinces and communes.[6] HP Pavilion DV9560EA Battery
For each of Burundi's seventeen provinces, one Hutu and one Tutsi senator are chosen. One term for the Transitional Senate is five years.[39]
Together, Burundi's legislative branch elect the President to a five-year term.[40] HP Pavilion DV9560EG Battery
Burundi's president appoints officials to his Council of Ministers, which is also part of the executive branch.[37] The president can also pick fourteen members of the Transitional Senate to serve on the Council of Ministers.[6] Members of the Council of Ministers must be approved by two-thirds of Burundi's legislature. HP Pavilion DV9560ER Battery
The president also chooses two vice-presidents.[40] As of 2010, the President of Burundi is Pierre Nkurunziza. The First Vice President is Therence Sinunguruza, and the Second Vice President is Gervais Rufyikiri.[41]
The Court Supreme (Supreme Court) is Burundi's highest court. HP Pavilion DV9560XX Battery
There are three Courts of Appeals directly below the Supreme Court. Tribunals of First Instance are used as judicial courts in each of Burundi's provinces as well as 123 local tribunals.[37]
Provinces, communes and collines
Burundi is divided into 17 provinces,[1] 117 communes,[6] and 2,638 collines (hills).[42] HP Pavilion DV9562EA Battery
Provincial governments are structured upon these boundaries. In 2000, the province encompassing Bujumbura was separated into two provinces, Bujumbura Rural and Bunjumbura Mairie.
Geography
One of the smallest countries in Africa, Burundi is landlocked and has an equatorial climate. HP Pavilion DV9562EZ Battery
Burundi is a part of the Albertine Rift, the western extension of the East African Rift. The country lies on a rolling plateau in the center of Africa. The average elevation of the central plateau is 5,600 feet (1,707 m), with lower elevations at the borders. The highest peak, Mount Heha at 8,810 feet (2,685 m),[43] lies to the southeast of the capital, Bujumbura. HP Pavilion DV9565EA Battery
The source of the Nile River is in Burundi province, and is linked from Lake Victoria to its headwaters via the Ruvyironza River[44][clarification needed] Lake Victoria is also an important water source, which serves as a fork to the Kagera River.[45][46] Another major lake is Lake Tanganyika, located in much of Burundi's southwestern corner.[47] HP Pavilion DV9565EG Battery
Burundi's lands are mostly agricultural or pasture. Settlement by rural populations has led to deforestation, soil erosion andhabitat loss.[48] Deforestation of the entire country is almost completely due to overpopulation, with a mere 230 square miles (600 km2) remaining and an ongoing loss of about 9% per annum.[49] HP Pavilion DV9570EF Battery
There are two national parks, Kibira National Park to the northwest (a small region of rain forest, adjacent to Nyungwe Forest National Park in Rwanda), Ruvubu National Park to the northeast (along the Rurubu River, also known as Ruvubu or Ruvuvu). Both were established in 1982 to conserve wildlife populations.[50] HP Pavilion DV9570EL Battery
Economy
Burundi is one of the world's poorest countries, owing in part to its landlocked geography,[1] poor legal system, lack of economic freedom, lack of access to education, and the proliferation of HIV/AIDS. HP Pavilion DV9570EO Battery
Approximately 80% of Burundi's population lives in poverty.[51] Famines and food shortages have occurred throughout Burundi, most notably in the 20th century,[7] and according to theWorld Food Programme, 56.8% of children under age five suffer from chronic malnutrition.[52] HP Pavilion DV9540US Battery
One scientific study of 178 nations rated Burundi's population as having the lowest satisfaction with life in the world.[53] As a result of poverty, Burundi is dependent on foreign aid.[1]
Burundi's largest industry is agriculture, which accounted for 58% of the GDP in 1997. HP Pavilion DV9540XX Battery
Subsistence agriculture accounts for 90% of agriculture.[54] The nation's largest source of revenue is coffee, which makes up 93% of Burundi's exports.[55] Other agricultural products include cotton, tea, maize, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc (tapioca); beef, milk, and hides. HP Pavilion DV9541EV Battery
Some of Burundi's natural resources include uranium, nickel, cobalt, copper, and platinum.[56] Besides agriculture, other industries include: assembly of imported components; public works construction; food processing, and light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, and soap. HP Pavilion DV9541XX Battery
Burundi's currency is the Burundian franc (BIF); as of January 27, 2011, 1,234.56 Burundian franc were equivalent to one United States dollar.[57]
Lack of access to financial services is a severe problem for the majority of the population, particularly in the densely populated rural areas: HP Pavilion DV9542EV Battery
only 2 percent of the total population holds bank accounts, and fewer than 0.5 percent use bank lending services.Microfinance, however, plays a larger role, with 4 percent of Burundians being members of microfinance institutions – a larger share of the population than that reached by banking and postal services combined. HP Pavilion DV9542XX Battery
26 licensed microfinance institutions (MFIs) offer savings, deposits, and short- to medium-term credit. Dependence of the sector on donor assistance is limited.[58]
Burundi is part of the East African Community and a potential member of the planned East African Federation. HP Pavilion DV9543CL Battery
Demographics
As of 2008, Burundi was projected to have an estimated population of 8,691,005 people. This estimate explicitly takes into account the effects of AIDS, which has a significant effect on the demographics of the country.[1]Over 500,000 have been displaced due to the disease.[5] HP Pavilion DV9543EA Battery
Many Burundians have migrated to other countries as a result of the civil war. In 2006, the United States accepted approximately 10,000 Burundian refugees.[59]
Most Burundians live in rural areas, while about six percent of the population live in urban areas.[60] HP Pavilion DV9543EV Battery
The population density of around 315 people per square kilometer (753 per sq mi) is the second highest in Sub-Saharan Africa.[6] Roughly 85% of the population are of Hutu ethnic origin, 15% are Tutsi, and fewer than one percent are indigenous Twa/Pygmies.[61] HP Pavilion DV9543XX Battery
Religion
Sources estimate the Christian population to be 75 percent, with Roman Catholics representing the largest group at 60 percent. Protestant and Anglican practitioners constitute the remaining 15 percent. HP Pavilion DV9545EO Battery
An estimated 20 percent of the population adheres to traditional indigenous religious beliefs. The Muslim population is estimated to be at 5 percent, the majority of whom live in urban areas. Sunnis make up the majority of the Muslim population, the remainder beingShi'a.[62] HP Pavilion DV9545XX Battery
Health
There is less health care in Burundi than in most other countries. Life expectancy at birth is estimated to be 59.24 years.[1] A large proportion of the population is undernourished. There were 3 physicians per 100,000 persons in 2004.[1] HP Pavilion DV9547CL Battery
The World Health Organization estimated that HIV/AIDS prevalence in Burundi was 3.3% of the adult population in 2009.[63] Demographic and Health Surveys completed a survey in Burundi in 1987 and is currently in the process of performing another.[64] HP Pavilion DV9547XX Battery
Culture
Burundi's culture is based on local tradition and the influence of neighboring countries, though cultural prominence has been hindered by civil unrest. Since farming is the main industry in Burundi, a typical Burundian meal consists of sweet potatoes,corn, and peas. HP Pavilion DV9548CA Battery
Due to the expense, meat is eaten only a few times per month. When several Burundians of close acquaintance meet for a gathering they drink impeke, a beer, together from a large container to symbolize unity. HP Pavilion DV9532XX Battery
Notable Burundians include the footballer Mohammed Tchité and singer Jean Pierre Nimbona, popularly known as Kidumu (who is based in Nairobi, Kenya).[65]
Crafts are an important art form in Burundi and are attractive gifts to many tourists. HP Pavilion DV9533EF Battery
Basket weaving is a popular craft for Burundian artisans.[66] Other crafts such as masks, shields, statues and pottery are made in Burundi.[67]
Drumming is an important part of the Burundian cultural heritage. THP Pavilion DV9533EG Battery
he world-famous Royal Drummers of Burundi, who have performed for over forty years, are noted for traditional drumming using the karyenda, amashako, ibishikiso, and ikiranya drums.[68] Dance often accompanies drumming performance, which is frequently seen in celebrations and family gatherings. HP Pavilion DV9534EF Battery
The abatimbo, which is performed at official ceremonies and rituals, and the fast-paced abanyagasimbo are some famous Burundian dances. Some musical instruments of note are the flute,zither, ikembe, indonongo, umuduri, inanga, and the inyagara. HP Pavilion DV9534XX Battery
Kirundi, French, and Swahili are spoken throughout Burundi.[1] Burundi's literacy rate is low, due to low school attendance. Ten percent of Burundian boys are allowed a secondary education.[70] Burundi's oral tradition is strong, relaying history and life lessons through storytelling, poetry, and song. HP Pavilion DV9535EA Battery
Imigani, indirimbo, amazina, and ivyivugo are types of literary genres existing in Burundi.[71]
Basketball and track and field are noted sports in Burundi. Martial Arts are popular, as well. There are five major Judo Clubs: HP Pavilion DV9535EF Battery
Club Judo de l'Entente Sportive, located in Downtown, and four others located throughout the city.[72] Football (soccer) is a popular pastime throughout the country, as are mancala games.
Most Christian holidays are celebrated in Burundi, with Christmas being the largest.[73] HP Pavilion DV9535EG Battery
Burundian Independence Day is celebrated annually on July 1.[74] In 2005, the Burundian government declared Eid al-Fitr, an Islamic holiday, to be a public holiday.[75]
In April 2009 the government of Burundi changed the law to criminalise homosexuality. HP Pavilion DV9535EO Battery
Persons found guilty of consensual same-sex relations risk two to three years in prison and a fine of 50,000 to 100,000 Burundian francs. Amnesty International has condemned the action, calling it a violation of Burundi’s obligations under international and regional human rights law, and against Burundi’s constitution, which guarantees the right to privacy.[76] HP Pavilion DV9535NR Battery
Education
In 2000, the literacy rate in Burundi was estimated to be 59.3% (67.3% male and 52.2% female).[77] Burundi has the University of Burundi. There are several museums in the cities, HP Pavilion DV9535US Battery
such as the Burundi Geological Museum in Bujumbura and the Burundi National Museum and the Burundi Museum of Life in Gitega. Adult literacy is at about half among men and about a quarter among women. HP Pavilion DV9536EF Battery
Burundi is one of the few countries in Africa, along with its closely linked neighbour Rwanda among others[which?], to be a direct territorial continuation of a pre-colonial era African state.
Kingdom of Burundi
The origins of Burundi are known from a mix of oral history and archaeology. HP Pavilion DV9536EM Battery
There are two main founding legends for Burundi. Both suggest that the nation was founded by a man named Cambarantama. The legend most promoted today states that he was Rwandan. The other version, more common in pre-colonial Burundi says that Cambarantama came from the southern state of Buha. HP Pavilion DV9540EB Battery
The first evidence of the Burundian state is from 16th century where it emerged on the eastern foothills. Over the following centuries it expanded, annexing smaller neighbours and competing with Rwanda. Its greatest growth occurred under Ntare IV Rutaganzwa Rugamba, who ruled the nation from about 1796 to 1850 and saw the kingdom double in size. HP Pavilion DV9540EO Battery
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. HP Pavilion DV9520EG Battery
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. HP Pavilion DV9521EA Battery
European explorers and missionaries made brief visits to the area as early as 1856, and they compared the organisation of the kingdom of Burundi with that of the old Greek empire. It was not until 1899 that Burundi became a part of German East Africa. HP Pavilion DV9521EI Battery
Unlike the Rwandan monarchy, which decided to accept the German advances, the Burundian king Mwezi IV Gisabo opposed all European influence, refusing to wear European clothing and resisting the advance of European missionaries or administrators. The Germans used armed force and succeeded in doing great damage, but did not destroy the king’s power. HP Pavilion DV9521TX Battery
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. The Germans then helped him suppress Maconco's revolt. The smaller kingdoms along the western shore of Lake Victoria were also attached to Burundi. HP Pavilion DV9521XX Battery
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. HP Pavilion DV9522TX Battery
A great famine hit in 1905, with others striking the entire Great Lakes region in 1914, 1923 and 1944. 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. HP Pavilion DV9522XX Battery
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 Belgians administered the territory through indirect rule, building on the Tutsi-dominated aristocratic hierarchy. HP Pavilion DV9523TX Battery
Following World War II, Ruanda-Urundi became a United Nations Trust Territory under Belgian administrative authority. After 1948, Belgium permitted the emergence of competing political parties. Two political parties emerged: the Union for National Progress(UPRONA), HP Pavilion DV9523XX Battery
a multi-ethnic party led by Tutsi Prince Louis Rwagasore and the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) supported by Belgium. In 1961, Prince Rwagasore was assassinated following an UPRONA victory in legislative elections. HP Pavilion DV9525EN Battery
Independence
Full independence was achieved on July 1, 1962. In the context of weak democratic institutions at independence, Tutsi KingMwambutsa IV Bangiriceng established a constitutional monarchy comprising equal numbers of Hutus and Tutsis. HP Pavilion DV9525EO Battery
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 Rwanda's "Social Revolution" of 1959-1961, where Rwandan Tutsi were subject to mass murder by the new government of Hutu Grégoire Kayibanda. HP Pavilion DV9525US Battery
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. HP Pavilion DV9525XX Battery
The monarchy refused to recognize gains by Hutu candidates in the legislative elections held in May 1965. In response, a group of Hutu carried out a failed coup attempt against the monarchy, which in turn prompted the killing of scores of Hutu politicians and intellectuals.[2] HP Pavilion DV9530EB Battery
In 1966, King Mwambutsa IV was deposed by his son, Prince Ntare V, who himself was deposed by his prime minister Capt. Michel Micombero in the same year. 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. HP Pavilion DV9530EF Battery
Micombero headed a clique of ruling Hima, the Tutsi subgroup located in southern Burundi.[3] Similar to 1965, rumors of an impending Hutu coup in 1969 prompted the arrest and execution of scores of prominent political and military figures.[2] HP Pavilion DV9530EG Battery
In June 1971, a group of Banyaruguru, the socially "higher up" subgroup of Tutsi located in the north of the country, were accused of conspiracy by the ruling Hima clique. On 14 January 1972, a military tribunal sentenced four Banyaruguru officers and five civilians to death, HP Pavilion DV9530EM Battery
and seven to life imprisonment. To the Hima concerns about a Hutu uprising or Banyaruguru-led coup was added the return of Ntare V from exile, a potential rallying point for the Hutu majority.[3]
1972 genocide
On April 29, there was an outbreak of violence in the south of the country, HP Pavilion DV9532EF Battery
also the base of the Hima, where bands of roving Hutu committed innumerable atrocities against Tutsi civilians. All civilian and military authorities in the city of Bururi were killed and the insurgents then seized the armories in the towns of Rumonge and Nyanza-Lac. HP Pavilion DV9515EO Battery
They then attempted to kill every Tutsi they could, as well as some Hutu who refused to participate in the rebellion, before retreating to Vyanda, near Bururi, and proclaiming a "Republic of Martyazo."[4]
A week after the insurgent proclamation of a republic, government troops moved in. HP Pavilion DV9515TX Battery
Meanwhile, President Micombero declared martial law on May 30 and asked ZaireanPresident Mobutu Sese Seko for assistance. Congolese paratroopers were deployed to secure the airport while the Burundi army moved into the countryside. HP Pavilion DV9515XX Battery
AfricanistRené Lemarchand notes, "What followed was not so much a repression as a hideous slaughter of Hutu civilians. The carnage went on unabated through the month of August. By then virtually every educated Hutu element, down to secondary school students, was either dead or in flight."[4] HP Pavilion DV9516TX Battery
Because the perpetrators, composed of government troops and the Jeunesses Révolutionnaires Rwagasore (JRR), the youth wing of the Union for National Progress ruling party, targeted primarily civil servants, educated males and university students, solely because of the "Hutuness" and irrespective of if they posed a threat,
Lemarchand terms the eradication a "partial genocide."[5] One of the first to be killed was deposed monarch Ntare V, in Gitega.[6]
From late April to September 1972, an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 Hutu were killed.[7] About 300,000 people became refugees, with most fleeing to Tanzania.[8] HP Pavilion DV9516XX Battery
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. Lemarhand notes that, while crushing the rebellion was the first priority, the genocide was succeessful in a number of other objectives: HP Pavilion DV9517TX Battery
ensuring the long-term stability of the Tutsi state by eliminating Hutu elites and potential elites; turning the army, police and gendarmie into a Tutsi monopoly; denying the potential return of monarchy through the murder of Ntare V; HP Pavilion DV9517XX Battery
and creating a new legitimacy for the Hima-dominated state as protector of the country, especially for the previously fractious Tutsi-Banyaruguru.[9][10]
Post-1972 genocide developments
In 1976, Colonel Jean-Baptiste Bagaza took power in a bloodless coup. HP Pavilion DV9518EM Battery
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. HP Pavilion DV9518TX Battery
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. Bagaza in a military coup d'état. HP Pavilion DV9519TX Battery
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. HP Pavilion DV9519XX Battery
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, non-ethnic government, HP Pavilion DV9520EB Battery
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.
Civil war
Ndadaye was assassinated three months later, in October 1993, by Tutsi army extremists. HP Pavilion DV9510EA Battery
The country’s situation rapidly declined as Hutu peasants began to rise up and massacre Tutsi. In acts of brutal retribution, the Tutsi army proceeded to round up thousands of Hutu and kill them. The Rwandan Genocide in 1994, sparked by thekilling of Ndadaye’s successor Cyprien Ntaryamira, HP Pavilion DV9510EO Battery
further aggravated the conflict in Burundi by sparking additional massacres of Tutsis.
A decade of civil war followed, as the Hutu formed militias in the refugee camps of northern Tanzania. An estimated 300,000 people were killed in clashes and reprisals against the local population, with 550,000 citizens (nine percent of the population) being displaced.[11] HP Pavilion DV9510TX Battery
After the assassination of Ntaryamira, the Hutu presidency and Tutsi military operated under a power-sharing political system until July 1996, when Tutsi Pierre Buyoya seized power in a military coup. Under international pressure, the warring factions negotiated a peace agreement in Arusha in 2000, HP Pavilion DV9510XX Battery
which called for ethnically balanced military and government and democratic elections. Two powerful Hutu rebel groups (the CNDD-FDD and the FNL) refused to sign the peace agreement and fighting continued in the countryside. Finally, the CNDD-FDD agreed to sign a peace deal in November 2003 and joined the transitional government. HP Pavilion DV9511TX Battery
The last remaining rebel group, the FNL, continued to reject the peace process and committed sporadic acts of violence in 2003 and 2004, finally signing a cease fire agreement in 2006.
Post-war
Former President Domitien Ndayizeye and his political supporters were arrested in 2006 and accused of plotting a coup, but later he was acquitted by the Supreme Court. HP Pavilion DV9511XX Battery
International human rights groups[who?] claimed that the current government was framing Domitien Ndayizeye by torturing him into false confessions of a 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. HP Pavilion DV9512TX Battery
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."[12] HP Pavilion DV9512XX Battery
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. HP Pavilion DV9513TX Battery
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 U.N. donated $35 million to Burundi to work on infrastructure, to promote democratic practices, to rebuild the military, and to defend human rights. HP Pavilion DV9513XX Battery
SOS Children, an NGO, uses HIV testing and prevention strategies, counseling, de-stigmatization, antiretroviral drugs and condoms to combat AIDS. Sample testing had shown that those who were HIV positive were 20 percent of the urban population and 6% of the rural population[13]. HP Pavilion DV9514TX Battery
Nevertheless, the death toll due to the syndrome has been devastating: the UN estimated 25,000 deaths in 2001 and Oxfam estimated 45,000 deaths in 2003.
Reaching a stable compromise on post-transition power sharing was difficult. HP Pavilion DV9514XX Battery
Although a post-transition constitution was approved in September 2004, it was approved over a boycott by the Tutsi parties. In addition, the Arusha Peace Agreement mandated that local and national elections be held before the ending of the transitional period on 31 October 2004, but transitional institutions were extended. HP Pavilion DV9515CA Battery
On 28 February 2005, however, Burundians popularly approved a post-transitional constitution by national referendum, with elections set to take place throughout the summer of 2005. After local, parliamentary, and other elections in June and July, on 19 August 2005, HP Pavilion DV9515EA Battery
the good governance minister, Pierre Nkurunziza, became the first post-transitional president.
Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country with an underdeveloped manufacturing sector. The mainstay of the Burundian economy is agriculture, accounting for 54% of GDP in 1997. HP Pavilion DV9515EF Battery
Agriculture supports more than 70% of the labour force, the majority of whom are subsistence farmers. Although Burundi is potentially self-sufficient in food production, the ongoing civil war, overpopulation, and soil erosion have contributed to the contraction of thesubsistence economy by 25% in recent years. HP Pavilion DV9504XX Battery
Large numbers of internally displaced persons have been unable to produce their own food and are largely dependent on international humanitarian assistance. Burundi is a net food importer, with food accounting for 17% of imports in 1997. HP Pavilion DV9505EF Battery
Agriculture
The main cash crop of Burundi is coffee, which accounted for 78.5% of exports in 1997. This dependence on coffee has increased Burundi's vulnerability to seasonal yields and international coffee prices. HP Pavilion DV9505EO Battery
It generates about 90% of export revenues, making the country particularly vulnerable to terms of trade shocks: the current account deficit in 2007 ran at 15% of GDP.[2] Coffee is the largest state-owned enterprise. In recent years, the government has tried to attract private investment to this sector, with some success. HP Pavilion DV9505TX Battery
Efforts to privatize other publicly held enterprises have stalled. Other principal exports include tea and raw cotton.
Burundi is one of the largest banana market in Africa.
Industry
Little industry exists except the processing of agricultural exports. HP Pavilion DV9505XX Battery
Although potential wealth in petroleum, nickel,copper, and other natural resources is being explored, the uncertain security situation has prevented meaningful investor interest. Industrial development also is hampered by Burundi's distance from the sea and high transport costs.Lake Tanganyika remains an important trading point. HP Pavilion DV9506TX Battery
The trade embargo, lifted in 1999, negatively impacted trade and industry. Since October 1993 the nation has suffered from massive ethnic-based violence which has resulted in the death of perhaps 250,000 people and the displacement of about 800,000 others. Foods, medicines, and electricity remain in short supply. HP Pavilion DV9506XX Battery
Burundi is heavily dependent on bilateral and multilateral aid, with external debt totalling $1.247 billion (1.247 G$) in 1997. A series of largely unsuccessful 5-year plans initiated in July 1986 in partnership with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund attempted to reform the foreign exchange system, HP Pavilion DV9507EF Battery
liberalize imports, reduce restrictions on international transactions, diversify exports, and reform the coffee industry.
IMF structural adjustment programs in Burundi were suspended following the outbreak of the crisis in 1993. HP Pavilion DV9507ES Battery
The World Bank has identified key areas for potential growth, including the productivity of traditional crops and the introduction of new exports, light manufactures, industrial mining, and services. Other serious problems include the state's role in the economy, the question of governmental transparency, and debt reduction. HP Pavilion DV9507TX Battery
To protest the 1996 coup by President Pierre Buyoya, neighbouring countries imposed an economic embargo on Burundi. Although the embargo was never officially ratified by theUnited Nations Security Council, most countries refrained from official trade with Burundi. HP Pavilion DV9507XX Battery
Following the coup, the United States also suspended all but humanitarian aid to Burundi. The regional embargo was lifted on January 23, 1999, based on progress by the government in advancing national reconciliation through the Burundi peace process.
Pierre Nkurunziza (born 18 December 1963) is a Burundian politician who has been President of Burundi since 2005. HP Pavilion DV9508TX Battery
He was the Chairman of the National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD), the ruling party until he was elected the President of the Republic of Burundi.
Background and political career
Nkurunziza was born in 1963 in Burundi's capital city of Bujumbura. HP Pavilion DV9508XX Battery
He attended primary school in Ngozi province and secondary school in Gitega before graduating from the University of Burundi in 1990. At the university, he majored inphysical education and sports. HP Pavilion DV9509TX Battery
His father, Eustache Ngabisha, was elected to the Parliament of Burundi in 1965 and later became governor of two provinces before being killed in 1972 during a period of ethnic violence that claimed the lives of over 300,000 Burundians and caused many more to go into exile as refugees. HP Pavilion DV9509XX Battery
Nkurunziza was a lecturer at Burundi University when civil war broke out in the country following the assassination of Burundi's first ethnic Hutu democratically elected president, Melchior Ndadaye, in 1993.
He joined the CNDD-FDD in 1995 as a soldier after the army attacked the university campus. HP Pavilion DV9501EA Battery
In a 2004 interview with the IRIN humanitarian news agency, he recalls the events that occurred:
"In 1995, the Tutsi army attacked the campus and killed 200 students. They tried to kill me too. The attackers shot at my car but I got out and ran away. HP Pavilion DV9501TX Battery
They torched my car. I then joined the CNDD-FDD as a soldier. This war was forced on us; we did not start it."
After rising through the ranks, Nkurunziza was appointed deputy secretary-general of the CNDD-FDD in 1998. In 2001, he was elected chairman. HP Pavilion DV9501XX Battery
There was a split in the group in late 2001. He was re-elected to the post of chairman in August 2004.
Beginning in late 2003 and after the ceasefire agreement, he was appointed Minister for Good Governance in the transitional government of President Domitien Ndayizeye. HP Pavilion DV9502AU Battery
Following a series of CNDD-FDD victories in elections held during June and July 2005, Nkurunziza was nominated as the party's presidential candidate. He was elected president unopposed by members of parliament (acting as an electoral college) on 19 August 2005 and took office on 26 August 2005. HP Pavilion DV9502EA Battery
The new Head of State inherited a country devastated by over a decade of civil war and dictatorship. In spite of those difficulties, he has since been working hard to restore peace and concord among the Burundian people. His policy is aimed at reconstruction and reconciliation, economic recovery and political stability. HP Pavilion DV9502TX Battery
President Nkurunziza concluded a peace accord with the last rebel group, the Palipehutu-Fnl. His simplicity is remarkable, and he always draws attention mingling with village people in the remote rural areas where he spends most of his time. One of his key priorities is to pull Burundi out of poverty. HP Pavilion DV9502XX Battery
President Nkurunziza initiated ‘Community Works’ carried out every Saturday, and he has taken courageous but otherwise important measures in favour of children and women: free education for primary school children and free health care for the under 5 kids, and maternity. HP Pavilion DV9503AU Battery
President Nkurunziza’s political career and wisdom have become a source of inspiration for many of his colleagues and several humanitarian organisations. He has been awarded several Prizes and other honorific Distinctions to recognize his endeavour. The awards include “Prix pour la Paix ” awarded to him by “Accord” in Durban in June 2006; HP Pavilion DV9503ES Battery
“Oscar de Paix” awarded by “Assis Pax International”, “Honoris Causa Ph.D” awarded to him by Latin University of Theology in California. In September 2007, the « Interfaith Peace Building » recognized his efforts. The Greenbelt Burundi also recognized his efforts in the protection of the environment The award was dedicated to Mwezi Gisabo, HP Pavilion DV9503TX Battery
a King of Burundi who refused to scorch the Kibira forest in order to track down his opponents. The United Nations Commission on Peace Consolidation in Burundi also decorated him with a peace award. In August 2009 in Nairobi: the « Model Leader for a New Africa Award » by AFREG (African Forum on Religion and Government), HP Pavilion DV9503XX Battery
a Florida-based religious organisation, with a sub-office in Accra, Ghana. Pierre Nkurunziza is the first African President to be awarded with such a distinction on the continent. In September 2010, the India – based Unity International Foundation honoured Pierre Nkurunziza with the "Rising Star of Africa Award HP Pavilion DV9504TX Battery
after Indian authorities found HE Pierre Nkurunziza as a role model in peace consolidation and development for the whole of Africa. In October 2011 in Monaco, the Peace and Sports International organization granted to HE Pierre Nkurunziza an award for having made sports as a tool for reconciliation in his country. HP Pavilion DV9500 Battery
He was re-elected in 2010 with more than 91% of the votes amidst an opposition boycott[1] and sworn in for his second term on 26 August 2010.[2]
Personal life
Nkurunziza was one of seven siblings. HP Pavilion DV9500EA Battery
Two of his siblings were killed after civil war erupted in 1993, and three others died while fighting in the CNDD-FDD. Only one of his siblings, a sister, is alive today.
A self-described born again Christian and a big fan of sports. President Nkurunziza is a talented sportsman who enjoys playing soccer and riding a bicycle. HP Pavilion DV9500EF Battery
He began playing football at the tender age of five, and was always among the best at secondary school and University. As a University lecturer, Nkurunziza used his football talents as a coach of “Union Sporting”, a first division club side which was rated among the best at the time. HP Pavilion DV9500EM Battery
As a President, he has re-called some of his former players to form a new team of veterans, “Helleluia FC”, where he plays as a striker and scores regularly. Back in 2004, when he was a State Minister, HP Pavilion DV9500EW Battery
Nkurunziza created a “Soccer Academy ” which is home to nearly 300 kids learning skills in various training centres across the country. The President is using sports as a tool for reconciliation and development, and his soccer academy could become a reference in Africa in the near future. HP Pavilion DV9500T Battery
Pierre Nkurunziza married his wife in 1994 and is the father of five children. HP Pavilion DV9500Z Battery,HP Pavilion DV9501AU Battery, HP Pavilion DV9443XX Battery
No comments:
Post a Comment