Wedged between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) to its west, Rwanda to its north and Tanzania to its south and east, Burundi sits on the western rim of the Great African Rift Valley. Except for a large, flat plain along Lake Tanganyika, the rest of the country consists of verdant, rolling hills and moist valleys. Coffee, beans, rice, cassava (manioc) and bananas are grown widely.
The first recorded inhabitants of Burundi were the Twa Pygmies, who were initially forest dwellers. (A small number of the Twa still reside in the country, but they constitute less than 1% of the population.) Around AD 1000, the Hutu settled in the area that now makes up Burundi and Rwanda, and they were joined by the Tutsi in the mid 1500s. In time, a feudal kingdom was established that was ruled by the Tutsi.
The tensions between the two groups increased as European powers colonized Africa. Germany ruled Burundi from the 1890s to the end of World War I, then Belgium took over until the country achieved independence in the early 1960s. The Hutu and the Tutsi struggled for power in the new nation. For most of its subsequent history, Burundi has been controlled by the Tutsi, who have held positions of power and dominated the military. After an attempted Hutu takeover in 1972, widespread bloodshed ensued—an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 Hutus were killed—setting the tone of animosity and retribution for the decades to come. Hutu attempts to gain control of the government in 1988 and 1992 were unsuccessful, but in democratic elections in 1993, Burundi's first Hutu president, Melchior Ndadaye, was elected.
Shortly after the election, Ndadaye was assassinated by Tutsi army officers. Only months later, his appointed successor, Cyprien Ntaryamira, died in a suspicious plane crash along with the president of neighboring Rwanda. The crash initiated the bloodbath in Rwanda, while Burundi sank into a protracted civil war. In mid 1996, former president Pierre Buyoya, a Tutsi who had relinquished his office in 1993 after losing the election to Ndadaye, retook the presidency from interim president Sylvestre Ntibantunganya in a bloodless coup. In late 1999, the Tutsi government relocated hundreds of thousands of Hutu civilians into camps in an attempt to isloate armed guerrillas. Peace talks mediated by Nelson Mandela began in February 2000 and finally resulted in peace agreements with the various rebel groups, but the situation remains extremely volatile. Fierce fighting has taken place in the vicinity of Bujumbura, and travel in the countryside is considered extremely dangerous.
Lake Tanganyika, the southernmost source of the White Nile River, forests, birds, watersports, golf, horseback riding, chimpanzees, monkeys, and beautiful scenery are among the chief attractions of Burundi.
If and when stability returns, visit Burundi only if you are already in the area and/or want to know more about the local culture. If your primary purpose is to see wildlife, there are plenty of other countries nearby where the viewing is better—and safer.
Life expectancy in Burundi is currently age 43 for men, age 47 for women.
Burundi refugees have settled in Tanzania, Rwanda and, until recently, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, from which they were routed. Many have died of malnutrition and disease.
Both Burundi and Uganda claim to have the source of the Nile. Each country displays a plaque marking the "real" headwaters.
The dugout canoes on the lakes are called pirogues.
Years ago, in what is now Burundi, journalist H. M. Stanley said the famous words, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?," after having located explorer David Livingstone.
The town of Muramvya was once a royal city.
Banks may charge a fee as high as 7% to change currency, so shop around.
Don't miss sunset at the Cercle Nautique on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Bujumbura.
