Research Library: Burundi

Last Updated Nov 10, 2009

Country Information

Government

• Burundi is a republic. The President serves as the chief of state and head of government. The president is popularly elected to a five-year term, and the president elects the vice president. Burundi has a bicameral Parliament consisting of the Senate with 34 seats and the National Assembly with a minimum of 100 seats. 34 members of the Senate are elected by indirect vote to serve a five-year term, and the rest are given to ethnic groups and former chiefs of state. The members of the National Assembly are elected by popular vote to a five-year term. 60% of the National Assembly must be Hutu, 40% must be Tutsi and 30% must be women. Other seats are appointed by the National Independent Electoral Commission to ensure ethnic representation.
• Under the constitution of 2005, the parliament may elect the post-transition president by a two-thirds vote. Elections are to be held in 2010. The current president is Pierre Nkurunziza of the Front for the Defense of Democracy party (CNDD-FDD). The parliament appointed him in 2005. The CNDD-FDD currently holds the majority in parliament.

Political Stability

• Burundi gained its independence from Belgium in 1962. Tension between the two major ethnic groups, the Hutu and the Tutsi, reached historic levels in 1993 after the assassination of Hutu head of state Melchior Ndadaye. The years of ethnic warfare that followed resulted in over 300,000 deaths. A power-sharing government, along with a ceasefire of most rebel groups, was organized in 2001 under the supervision of South Africa. In 2005, a constitution was approved in a popular referendum. Due to continued cross border attacks from Tutsi extremists, Burundi has become involved in the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Efforts to secure Burundi's borders have been unsuccessful, leading to an increased role in the conflict.
• The Forces for National Liberation (FNL) was the last active rebel group to sign a ceasefire agreement in 2006. However, after quitting the truce monitoring team in July 2007, the group resumed raids in September 2007. A durable agreement was agreed upon by the government and FNL in December 2008, and both are working to putting that agreement into action. The FNL was officially made a political party in May 2009.

Current Government Policies

• Economic stagnation is a major concern, a result of nearly a decade of ethnic warfare. An annual shrinkage of the economy has created additional stress on the population, straining social services such as health care and education, as well as leading to high levels of unemployment. President Nkurunziza promised to deal with the economic challenges the country faces, unveiling a $2 billion plan (directed primarily to the agricultural sector) to revive the economy in 2005. These efforts are funded in large part by foreign donors. Mr. Nkurunziza is working toward unity in Burundi, and reassuring the Tutsi minority.

International Reputation

• Burundi is a member of the AU, the UN, the IMF, and the WTO. In April of 2007 Burundi joined the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda to restart the Great lakes Countries Economic Community (CEPGL). CEPGL is a regional economic bloc.

Economics

• Burundi is a resource-poor country with an underdeveloped manufacturing sector. It is highly dependent on its agricultural sector—90% of its population relies on subsistence agriculture. Coffee exports constitute 90% of foreign trade earnings, but heavy reliance on this single crop makes Burundi overly reliant on weather conditions as well as international coffee prices. This creates uncertainty in budgeting, as trade income varies greatly year to year.
• An overall lack of infrastructure limits the potential for economic development. Significant amounts of infrastructure have been lost since civil war began in 1993, while continued warfare prevents repairs and new construction from taking place. Renewed political stability and the end of violence have allowed aid to flow into the country steadily and increase economic activity. Major concerns remain like the high poverty rate, poor education, weak legal authority and their influence on the economy. The economy is therefore highly dependent on foreign aid. Agriculture and services constitute the greatest portions of GDP, 33.4% and 45.6% respectively. Exports include tea, coffee, sugar, cotton, and hides. Its largest export partner is Japan.

Foreign Aid

• Burundi is a net recipient of official development assistance. For more information see the OECD Aid at a Glance chart.

Politically-Active Ethnic Groups
Data provided by the Minorities at Risk Project of the Center for International Development and Conflict Management at the University of Maryland

• Hutus
• Tutsis

Statistics
Click on statistic name for source information.

Web Resources

• Relief Web: Burundi
  International NGO updates on the human rights, health, and economic situation in Burundi.
  Added or modified on Dec 12, 2007
• Stanford University -- Burundi resources
  Annotated list of internet resources related to Burundi.
  Added or modified on Dec 12, 2007
• UPenn -- Burundi resources
  Links to internet resources related to Burundi
  Added or modified on Dec 12, 2007
• University of Texas -- Burundi maps
  A collection of maps of Burundi, including country, city, regional, and thematic maps.
  Added or modified on Dec 12, 2007
• allAfrica.com - News on Burundi
  Collection of news stories and press releases related to Burundi online.
  Added or modified on Dec 12, 2007