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 The monarchy was dissolved and Belgian troops withdrawn.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.