Government officials and FNL (Forces Nationales de Liberation) rebels signed a peace agreement in September despite numerous skirmishes between the two sides. Around 10 government troops and 20 rebel fighters were killed in 2006 along with 40 civilians while 38 have been reported missing and are presumed dead. These numbers represent a decline from previous years where casualties totalled 300 persons or more. Reservations still remain about continuing authoritarian practices as well as government control over the army and police. Human rights abuses and a lack of transparency remain serious issues and prompted the resignation of Vice-President Alice Nzomukunda in September. Leaders of the past government, including President Domitien Ndayizeye and former Deputy President Alphonse Marie Kadege, were arrested in August and allegedly tortured on allegations of conspiracy to commit a coup that would topple the Nkurunziza government.

Type of Conflict:

State control

Parties to the Conflict:

1) Government:

In August, 2005, Pierre Nkurunziza, former leader of the Hutu rebel group CNDD-FDD, became president after the CNDD-FDD swept local and parliamentary elections. This brought an end to the transitional government, formed in November 2001 by the creation of a coalition of 17 opposition groups. In line with Burundi’s new constitution, the new government consists of a 60/40 Hutu-Tutsi ratio. However, Burundi’s Tutsi military elite, officially a part of the new government, remain a powerful and potentially disruptive force.

Versus

2) Parti pour la Liberation du Peuple Hutu - Forces Nationales de Libération (PALIPEHUTU - FNL):

The FNL is the longest-established Hutu rebel group. A FNL splinter group signed a ceasefire with the government in October 2002 but the main faction of the FNL delayed signing a peace agreement until September 2006. A worrying trend is the increased presence of child soldiers within the ranks of FNL. The heads of state of the Great Lakes region countries voted in 2004 to declare the FNL a terrorist organization.

Status of the Fighting in 2006:

Throughout 2006, fighting between the FLN and government troops continued and was largely concentrated in the provinces of Bujumbura Rural and Bubanza. However, the main remaining FNL rebel faction signed a peace agreement with the Burundi government in September, the details of which have not been disclosed. Despite the signing of this agreement, allegations against both the government and FLN forces of human rights abuses, including very high instances of rape and sexual torture continue to be reported. There have also been reports of arbitrary killings by government intelligence services. The demobilization process initiated in 2005 has entered its final phase and the country’s new National Defence Force has been reduced to approximately 25,000 troops.

Number of Deaths:

Total: Independent media reports estimate that approximately 300,000 people have been killed since 1993.

2006: An official tally of casualties is unavailable, however, fighting between the FLN and the government resulted in some deaths. In addition, claims that the government’s secret service has been carrying out atrocities remain rampant. Around 10 government troops and 20 rebel fighters were killed in 2006 along with 40 civilians while 38 have been reported missing and are presumed dead. These numbers represent a decline from previous years where casualties totalled 300 persons or more.

Political Developments in 2006:

In September, a peace agreement was signed by the government and the main faction of FNL, the last rebel group to sign a peace accord. Details of the agreement have not been released, but FNL leader Agathon Rwasa has expressed concern over government control of both the Army and Police forces. In addition, continued allegations of human rights abuses and corruption within the government sparked the resignation of the Vice-President, Alice Nzomukunda. In August, members of the former government including former Vice-President Alphonse Marie Kadege, were arrested on the premise of a conspiracy to commit a coup. Many reports also alleged that the former Vice-President, along with six other high-ranking officials had been tortured while detained. The repatriation of refugees has also been problematic as it has resulted in many instances of land disputes as thousands return from neighbouring countries.

Background:

Burundi has been subject to ethnic violence since independence from Belgium in 1962. Tutsis mostly have held the reins of power, with the majority Hutus claiming oppression by minority rule. The current phase of the conflict began in 1988 when 20,000 or more Hutus were massacred by the military following an uprising in northern Burundi. In 1993, a Hutu, Melchior Ndadaye, and his Front for Democracy in Burundi (FRODEBU) party won Burundi's first democratic elections. Shortly after, Ndadaye was murdered, allegedly by Tutsi soldiers. In 1994 the formation of a coalition of parties representing two ethnic groups, FRODEBU (Hutu) and the Tutsi Union for National Progress (UPRONA), led to the installation of Cyprien Ntaryamira as president. After he and Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana were killed in a plane crash in April 1994, a UN-brokered agreement produced another Government of National Unity. In 1996 former president Major Pierre Buyoya regained control of the government by a military coup and neighbouring states reacted to Buyoya=s suspension of parliament and banning of political parties by imposing economic sanctions on Burundi. Renewed conflict in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo in 1998 further complicated the Burundian situation, although peace talks began the same year. In November 2001, a transitional government consisting of both Hutu and Tutsi representatives was inaugurated in accordance with the August 2000 Arusha peace accords. However, the two main rebel groups, the FDD and the FNL refused to recognize this government or agree to a cease fire. The situation changed in 2003 when the FDD agreed to join the government leaving the FLN as the sole rebel group. The continued violence led the African Union to mandate the creation of a peacekeeping force to Burundi. By October 2003, 2,535 peacekeepers had been deployed to Burundi and in 2004 the AU mission was replaced by a 5,000 troop UN peacekeeping force. In February, 2005 a new constitution was approved after receiving over 90 percent of votes in a national referendum. The constitution establishes a democratic mixed parliamentary-presidential political system and the sharing of parliamentary, government and military posts among Burundi’s ethnic groups.

Arms Sources:

In 2006 it was reported that Burundi spent close to 51.8 million Burundian Francs on military expenditure. This figure also represents 6.3 percent of the country’s annual GDP. [The SIPRI Yearbook, 2006]

In 2005, Belgium signed an agreement to resume military cooperation with Burundi. France was the main arms supplier to the Burundi government until 1996. The government also received weapons from South Africa in 1998 and Ukraine in 2001 and 2002 while the Hutu rebels, especially the CNDD, were reportedly supplied by Zimbabwe. According to at least one report, arms originating from several countries have made their way to Burundi via private sources.
[Sources: Military Balance, 1999/2000 to 2004/2005, SIPRI Yearbook 2005]

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