Since independence in 1961 Burundi has been plagued by tension between the dominant Tutsi minority and the Hutu majority and has been the scene of one of Africa's most intractable conflicts.
The country is now beginning to reap the dividends of a peace process, with only one rebel group remaining active in the countryside around the capital. It faces the formidable tasks of reviving the shattered economy and of forging national unity.
|
OVERVIEW |
|
In 1993 Burundi seemed poised to enter a new era when, in their first democratic elections, Burundians chose their first Hutu head of state, Melchior Ndadaye, and a parliament dominated by the Hutu Front for Democracy in Burundi (Frodebu) party.
But within months Ndadaye had been assassinated, setting the scene for years of Hutu-Tutsi violence in which an estimated 300,000 people, most of them civilians, were killed.
In early 1994 parliament elected another Hutu, Cyprien Ntaryamira, as president. But he was killed in April alongside the president of neighbouring Rwanda when the plane they were travelling in was shot down over Kigali.
Another Hutu, Sylvestre Ntibantunganya, was appointed president in October 1994. But within months, the mainly Tutsi Union for National Progress (Uprona) party withdrew from the government and parliament, sparking a new wave of ethnic violence.
Following long-running talks, mediated by South Africa, a power-sharing government was set up in 2001 and most of the rebel groups agreed to a ceasefire. Four years later Burundians voted in the first parliamentary elections since the start of the civil war.
The main Hutu former rebel group won the vote and nominated its leader Pierre Nkurunziza as president.
Meanwhile, the government and the United Nations have begun the lengthy process of disarming thousands of soldiers and former rebels, as well as forming a new national army.
|
FACTS |
|
Population: 7.3 million (UN, 2005)
Capital: Bujumbura
Area: 27,816 sq km (10,740 sq miles)
Major languages: Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili
Major religions: Christianity, indigenous beliefs
Life expectancy: 42 years (men), 44 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Burundi franc = 100 centimes
Main exports: coffee, tea, sugar, cotton, hides
GNI per capita: US $90 (World Bank, 2005)
Internet domain: .bi
International dialling code: +257
|
LEADERS |
|
President: Pierre Nkurunziza
Pierre Nkurunziza, a Hutu former rebel leader, became the first president to be chosen through democratic means since the start of Burundi's civil war.
Pierre Nkurunziza, one of Africa's youngest leaders |
He was the sole candidate in the August 2005 vote in the National Assembly and the Senate after his Force for the Defence of Democracy (FDD) won parliamentary elections in June.
The vote was one of the final steps in a peace process intended to end years of fighting between Hutu rebels and the Tutsi-controlled army.
Mr Nkurunziza, who pledged to strive for unity, faces the pressing challenges of reassuring the Tutsi minority and of reviving the economy.
He has promised to try to persuade the last active Hutu rebel group to join his government.
Born in 1964 in Burundi's Ngozi province, Pierre Nkurunziza trained as a sports teacher. His father, a former MP, was killed in ethnic violence in 1972.
He joined the Hutu rebellion in 1995 and rose through the ranks to become head of the FDD in 2001. He sustained a serious mortar injury during the conflict.
The married father of two is a born-again Christian.
Foreign minister: Antoinette Batumbwira
Defence minister: Germain Niyoyankana
Finance minister: Dieudonne Ngowembona
|
MEDIA |
|
Operating in a turbulent political climate, Burundi's media are subject to self-censorship and periodic government censorship. However, diverse political views are sometimes aired and the opposition press does function, albeit sporadically.
Newspapers are sometimes forced to close, then reappear again. Print runs are small and readership is limited by low literacy levels.
Radio is the main source of information for many Burundians. The government runs the sole TV station, the only radio station with national coverage, as well as the only newspaper that publishes regularly.
BBC World Service, Radio France Internationale and the Voice of America are available on FM in Bujumbura.
The press
Le Renouveau - government newspaper
Ndongozi (Pacesetter) - founded by Catholic Church
Arc-en-ciel (Rainbow) - private, French-language weekly
Ubumwe (Unity) - government-owned weekly
Television
La Radiodiffusion et Television Nationale de Burundi (RTNB) - government controlled, broadcasts in Kirundi, Swahili, French and English
Radio
Radio Burundi (RTNB) - government controlled, broadcasts in Kirundi, Swahili, French and English; also operates an educational network
Bonesha FM - funded by international organisations; set up in 1996 as Radio Umwizero (Hope), an EU-funded station to promote reconciliation
Radio Publique Africaine - private, operates with some UN and overseas funding
Radio CCIB+ - operated by Burundi Chamber of Commerce
Radio Culture - partly funded by health ministry
Radio Isanganiro - private
News agencies
Agence Burundaise de Presse (ABP) - government controlled
Azania - privately owned
Net Press - privately owned 
