Burundi Civil War

The war in Burundi, which lasted from 1993 to 1999, is recorded as one of the bloodiest civil wars in the modern history. The war in Burundi was civil war because as explained by James D. Fearon, PhD, Professor of Political Science; CISAC Affiliated Faculty Member of the Stanford University “Civil war refers to a violent conflict between organized groups within a country that are fighting over control of the government, one side's separatist goals, or some divisive government policy” (Fearon, James D. "Civil War."). The war was between two local forces who wanted to control the country. The war was between the Tutsis and the Hutus, which are the two main ethnic inhabitants of Burundi. This war started because both of the local forces tried to control and rule Burundi. Both the Hutus and the Tutsis did not want to bring radical change in the government, but just wanted to grab the power.

The war was between the Tutsis and the Hutus, which are the two main ethnic inhabitants of Burundi. Tutsis lived in harmony in Central Africa During the colonial era. The two groups lived as one, speaking the same language, intermarrying, and obeying a nearly godlike Tutsi king. (“Crises in Central Africa." Hutu-Tutsi Fighting Prompts Refugee). Although once peacefully co-existing, between the two ethnic groups of Burundi some tension had remained due to the power vacuum left behind by Belgium - when it declared Burundi as an independent country in 1962. The monarchy was dissolved and Belgian troops withdrawn. Although a minority, Burundi was then controlled by Tutsi, who disliked the majority, the Hutu. This struggle slowly built up into mutual hatred and dislike amongst Hutus and Tutsis. This was a fundamental seed to the civil war. (“Crises in Central Africa." Hutu-Tutsi Fighting Prompts Refugee)

This war started because both of the local forces tried to control and rule Burundi. The minor ethnic tension escalated into a full-scale civil war, after the election in 1993. A Hutu, Melchior Ndadaye was elected as the president in this election. President Ndadaye was the first person from the Hutu tribe to become the President. ("Burundi Civil War." Military) Although Hutu tribe forms the majority of the people, the government in Burundi had always remained dominated by the Tutsis. In October of 1993, President Ndadaye was killed in a coup d'état staged by Tutsi military officers. ("Democracy Glimpsed and Lost: AD 1993-1999." History of Burundi) Violence between the two local forces followed the coup, as the Hutus wanted to avenge the killing of Ndadaye. As a result the Tutsi military killed thousands of Hutus in an attempt to remain in power. The Tutsi ruler and the National Council for the Defense of Democracy or Forces for the Defense of Democracy (Conseil National Pour la Défense de la Démocratie and Forces pour la Défense de la Démocratie) were the principle power behind the bloody civil war. ("Burundi Civil War." Military)

The conflict provides evidence that the local forces didn’t want to bring any radical changes in the country. None of the two groups have shown any concern for human rights, or have established a rule of law or make effort toward reconciliation. (“Profile." Background Note: Burundi) The Hutus wanted power and so did the Tutsis, which controlled the government since its independence. When Hutus finally got their chance, it was ruined by the assassination of the elected Hutu president, Ndadaye. The Hutu were very angry at the Tutsis for killing their leader, do they wanted to take revenge. ("Democracy Glimpsed and Lost: AD 1993-1999." History of Burundi) The Tutsis were also hungry for power so they used their military against the Hutus. None of the groups have shown concerns for the ordinary people. ("Burundi Civil War." Military)

The war in Burundi has been said to be one of the bloodiest war in the modern history. Since October 1993 approximately 300,000 persons have been killed in ethnic violence. ("Burundi Civil War." Military) According to an international human rights organization, “The number of civilians killed during 1997 and 1998 were about 900 persons per month”. (International Human Right Watch. Civil war of Burundi) The war was fought between two ethnic groups of the same country, which once coexisted. There was no foreign aggression involved and the war and the war was simply fought to take control of the government.

Cites:

• Lemuchand, Rene. Burundi. New York: Woodrow Wilson International Center for scholars, 1995.

• "Burundi Civil War." Military. 2007. GlobalSecurity. 20 Feb. 2007 .

• "Democracy Glimpsed and Lost: AD 1993-1999." History of Burundi. History World. 22 Feb. 2007 .

• "Burundi: Country Overview." World Geography. 2007. ABC-CLIO. 25 Feb. 2007 .

• "Burundi." The World Fact book. 2007. CIA. 20 Feb. 2007 .

• Fearon, James D. "Civil War." Civil War Definition Transcends Politics. 2006. Freeman Spogli Institute for International Study. 23 Feb. 2007 http://fsi.stanford.edu/news/civil_war_definition_transcends_politics_20060410/

• “Crises in Central Africa." Hutu-Tutsi Fighting Prompts Refugee. 1996. CNN. 23 Feb. 2007 .

• “Profile." Background Note: Burundi. 2007. U.S. Department of States. 24 Feb. 2007 .

• International Human Right Watch. Civil war of Burundi. Burundi Bulletin. 2001.

The Forty Third War: Journal 8

This morning we were woken up early, because we were to switch with the soldiers who were patrolling. We heard Sergeant Diaz and Sergeant Juan were arguing about something. They were saying that the loyalists had figured out our location. We didn’t know how, but we thought it was because of the noise we made last night while firing the guns. Sergeant Diaz was worried and wanted our troop go back, but Sergeant Juan said that the troops would be here any time. After about thirty minutes there was a machine gun firing at us from the other side of the river. It went on for about two minutes and it stopped, and they fired after two minutes again. We were told not to shoot. We waited for some time, and when the loyalists appeared form the other side, we were told to kill them. Ten minutes later, the other troops arrived, and they started to run to the other side, we followed them. I wasn’t around my friends, but I wasn’t worried, because I am a good soldier. On the way to the city, we killed everyone on our way. So we started to search the city, because no one was there. We killed them all of the snipers. Then we went to the church located at the center of the city. A sniper shot Eduardo on his shoulder, so I pulled him in the church, where he was taken care of. Suddenly, a man shot everyone until he was killed. I was also shot on the shoulder. It was very painful, and then I fainted.

I woke up, with Roberto on my side. He said that Carlos was wounded grievously and he was taken to a hospital. I fell asleep again. I woke up when we were in another camp. Roberto told me that the captain had decided that all of the soldiers were to go to their villages. When the army needed soldiers, someone would be sent to get them. The revolutionary army was going underground to prepare for another battle.

The Forty Third War: Journal 7

Today, we were woken up early by the Sergeant’s whistle. He told us to meat at the HQ immediately. We were told that the city of Juticalpa was under control of the loyalists, and that some of us were going to the river to clear all of the loyalists we could find. We were then given our load of things to carry, and then Sergeant Juan told that Carlos, Roberto, and I along with some others were going to walk to the bank of the river to kill of the loyalists we could find. Immediately we started the hike. We walked for about six hours, and we reached there at about two o'clock. We set up a small camp, and another Sergeant named Diaz was also there, with other soldiers that I didn't know. Carlos and I were put on the right corner of our camp to patrol for anything that seemed harmful to us. We sat there for a couple of hours, when we heard a splashing sound. Then three boats appeared with men on it. Diaz told us to wait for his signal when to fire. Then he gave the signal. In a matter of seconds we killed all of them. All of them were dead. Two men had tried to swim to the shore when I shot one, and someone else shot the other. We were then told by the Sergeant to switch places and for the people who were on patrol to get some rest.

We were given some food to eat, and it was two pieces of bread with beans. We talked for some time, about how many men we had killed. We also talked about how it will be when all of the soldiers from the revolutionary army join forces to get Juticalpa. We hoped that they came, because that was what the Sergeant told us. Some time later we all slept.

The Forty Third War: Journal 6

Today, we woke up late. All of the other soldiers were asleep when I woke up. I hit Roberto and Carlos on their ribs to wake them up. After we woke up, we rolled up our blankets, and started to talk. We talked about the people we killed last night, and I had actually killed one man, and I couldn't believe it. Later that morning, we started to have wrestling competitions amongst ourselves, because the Sergeant or the captain hadn't ordered us to do anything. I was the first person to wrestle, with another guy named Eduardo. We fought for about five minutes, and then I threw him on the ground, and he gave up because I had a grapple locked on him. I thought that the training that the army had given us was useful, because If we didn't have a weapon, and we had to fight another bigger person, we could knock them down easily with all of the moves. Later that day, after lunch, captain told us that we were going to learn martial arts, so we could be better at fighting. We learned how to kick, punch and doge well. We also learned to jump high, and do stunts. Then we were taught how to fight using all of the things we had learned. We learned how to combine a stunt, and a kick, and how to fake an attack. After learning all of the new things we were all tired.

For the rest of the day we were told to practice all of the things we had learned. My friends and I had another competition using martial arts. I was good at it, I won a match against Carlos. At around six we were told to eat dinner which was meat, and some tortillas. It was wonderful. It had been a long time since I had meat. After finishing our dinner, we were told to go to sleep.

The Forty Third War: Journal 5

Today, we woke up pretty early, because the captain had blown the whistle. After we woke up we were quickly given some coffee, and some tortillas, with beans. We were then told to gather around the HQ, and the captain told us that the Loyalist army had moved to the capital city of, Juticalpa, and that if the loyalists get control of the city, we will lose the battle. After the instructions, we were given two clips of ammunition, and our blankets to carry, and then we left for the hike.

We walked a lot and we were going to visit a village for some support on the main battle. After about two hours, we reached a village. The people in the village were all dead. We searched everywhere for people and found a small boy. He told us that the loyalists had shot everyone on the village and that he wasn't killed, because he was hiding in the forest. We made graves for most of the dead people, and Roberto was told to find clothes to wrap the dead bodies. After burying them we started to go back to the village. Along with the boy, we started to hike back at the camp. On the way the captain told us that we were going to drop the boy off at the American mission, where they would take care of him. We walked for about an hour and found the village of the American mission. We left the boy there and we were off again. Some time later we spotted seven loyalists in front of us and they were walking towards us. We ambushed them, and all of them were dead. We stole all the ammunition they had. Then we started to walk back carrying the ammunition. We didn't stop on our way. After about an hour and a half we were back at the camp. I saw that dinner was ready, because it was already dark. After eating, we took our blankets out and then we slept.

The Forty Third War: Journal 4

Today I woke up late, because I was tired of the hike yesterday. Next to the tent there were four rocket launchers on the ground, and I wondered if we were heading out for the battle today. Unsure of what was going to happen, I started to clean my rifle, because there was nothing for me to do. I remembered the good days, when I used to wake up and see my mom, and sister. A few moments later everyone woke up, and started to clean their weapons. I wondered if we would get killed like the two who had died in the raid. Then I had a frightening thought, “Will I ever see my family. Will I die and will the army burry me without any rituals." We were given the same lunch but slightly early. After lunch, we started to talk about how the war was going to end. Then I saw a big crowd of soldiers near the HQ. We all were curious about what was happening, so we all went there. Some soldiers older than me and soldiers as old as me were playing baseball.

We asked if we could play, and the captain said that we could. After about forty minutes, when all of the people who were playing got tired I was allowed to bat. The pitcher was a guy named Enrique. I had two strikes, but on the third ball I scored a homerun. I scored about four homeruns during the whole game. When we were done, the captain came up to me and said that I had played good. Everyone said that Enrique, and I were the best players. We played until we couldn't see the ball anymore. I would have volunteered to join the army if I knew that they played baseball. I felt free and wonderful after we played baseball. We were given dinner of bread, beans, and coffee. After we ate we were ordered to go to sleep.