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Due to resource constraints, IRIN is not updating the country profile below.
Updated humanitarian country information can be found instead at the Burundi country page on ReliefWeb [http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/dbc.nsf/doc104?OpenForm&rc=1&cc=bdi].
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 Republic of BURUNDI
Humanitarian Country Profile |
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Background
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Last update: February 2007 |
Burundi is experiencing a period of relative calm after more than a decade of political conflict and civil war. The country held its first successful post-war democratic elections in August 2005.
However, the cumulative impact of extremely low living standards and a continuous deterioration in social and economic conditions means at least half the estimated 7.5 million inhabitants live on less than US$1 a day.
Peace and security
Since independence in 1962, Burundi has experienced tensions between the dominant Tutsi minority and Hutu majority groups.
The 1990s saw continued conflict and civil war in Burundi after the assassination of the country's first president Melchior Ndadaye in October 1993 and the 1994 death of his successor Cyprien Ntaryamira in a plane crash.
After more than a decade of civil strife, the country held national and legislative elections in 2005, signalling an end to the conflict. However, fighting continued in the provinces of Bujumbura Rurale and Bubanza between government forces and the Forces nationales de libération (FNL), the last remaining rebel group.
The country is trying to consolidate the peace following the signing of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement in September 2006 between the government and the FNL in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, concluding talks mediated by the South African government. However, final political agreement has yet to be reached.
According to the UN Mission in Burundi (ONUB), delays in the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of FNL combatants have contributed to continued criminal activities against the population, reportedly committed by the FNL since October 2006.
The crime rate, inducing murder, theft and rape, remains high, with the proliferation of small arms a major security concern. Many crimes are attributed to uniformed elements.
According to the International Crisis Group (ICG), the Burundian government must reach out to both Hutu and Tutsi to ensure the continuation of the peace process by establishing mechanisms for justice and reconciliation and building institutions of good governance.
IDPs/Refugees
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), at least 438,700 Burundian refugees had left the country by the start of 2006, settling in Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia.
So far, more than 319,000 refugees have been repatriated to Burundi since UNHCR started assisting the return process in 2002. Most have returned from camps in Tanzania, which hosts more than 400,000 Burundians.
UNHCR is targeting at least 80,000 returns for 2007 while the total planning figures include 203,980 refugees, internally displaced people, asylum seekers, and others. The issue of land for returnees remains a source of conflict.
Nearly 400,000 Burundians who fled inter-ethnic massacres in 1972 and from 1993 to 1996 are still in exile.
Democracy and governance
The local, legislative and presidential elections in 2005 signalled the end of Burundi’s transition period, which was established in 2002 with the signing of a peace and reconciliation accord.
Pierre Nkurunziza, the President, and former leader of the armed opposition group, le Conseil National pour la Défense de la Démocratie - Forces de Défense de la Démocratie (CNDD-FDD), won the elections, replacing the transition president, Domitien Ndayizeye.
Despite the elections being viewed by observers as a major step towards the restoration of democracy and peace in the country, the political situation relapsed to a point of uncertainty in mid-2006.
This was due to the arrest of seven politicians, including the former president, Ndayizeye, who were accused of planning a coup against Nkurunziza.
However, Ndayizeye and some of his co-accused, including former vice-president Alphonse Marie Kadege, a lawyer, Isidore Rufyikiri, Col Damien Ndarisigaranye and political party leader Déo Niyonzima were acquitted on 15 January by Burundi's Supreme Court.
In general, Burundi’s overburdened judicial system, hampered by limited resources, continues to function poorly, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).
With corruption rampant in the country, the government should support an independent audit through parliament of state contracts and prosecute corrupt officials, according to the ICG.
Burundi has a corruption perception index of 2.4, ranking 130 overall, according to the corruption watchdog, Transparency International (TI). In Africa, only Mauritius and Botswana score above five, the threshold for serious corruption.
Media
Reported harassment of journalists continued in 2006, with the arrests of three journalists over a story about the alleged coup plot.
Since September 2006, the government has cracked down on Radio Publique Africaine, Radio Isanganiro and Radio Bonesha for their critical reporting, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). In protest, national private media employees staged a two-day work stoppage.
In an effort to establish dialogue, the government organised a seminar on the role of the media in November during which media representatives called for the provision of timely and accurate responses by the government, while the government asked the media to report in a balanced, accurate manner.
According to the ICG, the media should promote self-regulation by issuing press cards through the Journalists’ Association and implementing an internal disciplinary system whereby accreditation will be suspended and revoked if journalists repeatedly violate the Code of Professional Ethics.
The government should also improve communication and dialogue with press and civil society, according to the ICG.
Economy
According to the World Bank, Burundi experienced a 10-year period of economic decline after the 1993 civil conflict, with gross domestic product (GDP) per capita falling to US$83 by 2003.
Despite spending pressures related to post-conflict needs, Burundi's revenue has increased, exceeding the target by 0.7 percent of GDP in 2004.
Burundi has an underdeveloped manufacturing sector; the economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, with tea and coffee accounting for the main exports.
However, severe weather conditions, including drought, flooding and crop diseases in most parts of the country have affected agriculture, which is the mainstay of the economy.
Population
Burundi's population is estimated at 7.5 million, according to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). The government views its population growth rate of 3.4 percent per year and fertility rates of 6.8 lifetime births per woman as too high.
The maternal mortality ratio is also high, estimated at 1,000 deaths per 100,000 live births while infant mortality was 102 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2005.
The major religion in Burundi is Christianity while the main ethnic groups are Hutu and Tutsi.
Development indicators
Burundi is ranked 169 out of 177 countries in the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Report for 2006.
Life expectancy at birth is 44 years while adult literacy for the population over 15 is 59.3 percent. At least 46.3 percent of the population is not expected to survive past the age of 40, according to UNDP.
According to the World Bank, Burundi is the fourth least-developed country in the world in terms of social welfare indicators due to more than a decade of violence.
Education
The combined primary, secondary and tertiary level enrolment ratio is 36.2 percent, according to the UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
About 54 percent of girls attend primary school compared with 60 percent of boys. However, the transition rate from primary to secondary decreases to 34 percent, with the overall literacy rate for the population over 15 being 59.3 percent.
Since 2005, primary education in Burundi has been free, allowing thousands of returnee children to enroll. The Burundian government allocated 13 percent of its budget to education in 2004, according to UNESCO.
Despite continued investment in education, three-quarters of primary schools lack potable water while at least 38 percent of the schools have insufficient latrines, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Children
Burundi’s children continue to be threatened by rape, child prostitution, child labour, recruitment into militias, internal displacement, kidnapping and landmines, according UNICEF.
The infant and under-five mortality rates remain among the highest in the world, due to the prevalence of malaria, diarrhoea, pneumonia and HIV/AIDS.
At least 60 percent of primary school-aged children have iodine deficiency, while immunisation rates for childhood diseases have declined in recent years.
Health
Decades of war have had a negative impact on the country's health sector, with the government requiring citizens to pay the cost of healthcare. With at least half the population living on less than $1 a day, hospitals have resorted to detaining patients unable to pay their bills.
In 2005 and 2006, hundreds of patients who had completed treatment were prevented from leaving hospitals for this reason, according to HRW.
The leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Burundi include malaria, acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea, tuberculosis and malnutrition. Only 3 percent of children younger than five were sleeping under a mosquito net from 1999-2005, according to UNICEF.
There has also been deterioration in living conditions, including inadequate sanitation and drainage; only 36 percent of the population have adequate sanitation facilities.
Life expectancy at birth for men is 42 years and 47 for women.
HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS continues to be a priority concern with incidences of sexual violence affecting 1.3 percent of women 14 years or older, according to UNFPA.
The Burundian response to HIV/AIDS has included targeting priority groups such as the youth, military personnel and disaster victims.
The national HIV/AIDS strategy carried out in conjunction with development partners such as UNAIDS, the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organisation, includes providing antiretroviral treatment to 6,416 people living with HIV and equipping four regional hospitals with CD4 count machines, according to UNAIDS.
In 2005, more than 70,000 people, compared with 50,000 in 2003, were tested for HIV in 127 voluntary counselling and testing centres.
However, there are major obstacles to universal access to antiretroviral treatment, including the harmonisation of sources of outside support, heavy dependence on outside funding and the impact on the supply system of the sluggish government procurement procedure.
According to UNAIDS, at least 150,000 people are living with HIV, with the HIV prevalence rate at 3.3 percent for adults aged 15 to 49.
Food security
Several factors continue to undermine household food security in Burundi, including chronic poverty, physical insecurity and crop diseases, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).
Despite relative stability after years of ethnic strife, land pressure and adverse ecological conditions continue to have a negative impact on food security. The country faced a severe drought in 2006, an emergency plan by government to assist the affected population.
In 2005, WFP provided food aid to at least 1.8 million people. The improved security meant it was possible to expand recovery programmes such as food for work, food for training and school feeding.
Gender issues
The internal political struggles following independence in 1962 have had a severe impact on women through the disruption of social and economic development for almost four decades, according to the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).
Many of the crimes against humanity during the war involved the rape, torture and enslavement of young girls and women. According to the human rights department of ONUB, in 2005 only one out of every three women raped lodged a complaint. Of these, the majority dropped their case before anyone was brought to justice.
Moreover, the vast majority of internally displaced persons are women and children, with many women widowed and left with no legal rights regarding divorce, property or marriage.
Burundian women face a lifetime risk of maternal death of one in 12, according to UNICEF.
Human rights
Human-rights violations and impunity have continued in Burundi, despite the new democratically elected government, according to ONUB.
Despite some arrests, the government has yet to prosecute the national security forces’ personnel implicated in serious human rights violations, such as the disappearance and possible execution of 30 people in Muyinga province between July and August 2006.
In August 2006, leading opposition politicians, including former president Ndayizeye, were arrested, accused of planning a coup. This was followed by the September resignation of Second Vice-President Alice Nzomukunda. She accused the government of human rights violations and corruption.
In spite of the signing of a peace agreement between the government and the FNL, there have been increasing reports of the FNL using coercive means to obtain food and other provisions in the northwestern provinces of Bubanza and Cibitoke.
Sexual violence also continues to be widespread, with minors comprising 60 percent of reported rape cases. In a recent report on the human-rights situation in Burundi, ONUB's human-rights division reported 83 cases of sexual violence across the country during September 2006.
Humanitarian needs
The main humanitarian issues facing Burundians include lack of infrastructure, which restricts access to basic services, and the resettlement needs of thousands of returnees and displaced people.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), there were 50,000 returnees in 2006 and the number is expected to rise in 2007 if the ceasefire between the government and the FNL holds.
It is crucial to maintain humanitarian programmes to reduce vulnerability, declining humanitarian and development standards, food insecurity and extreme poverty, according to OCHA.
Thousands of people were also displaced by floods in January 2007, which rendered more than 3,000 residents homeless in northwestern Burundi.
A long-standing, protracted humanitarian crisis, combined with an overall context of structural poverty, has put most Burundians in a situation of daily fragility and vulnerability, according to the WFP. |
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| Burundi in figures | Population: 7.5 million
Pop. growth rate: 3.4%
GDP per capita: US$83 (2003)
Pop. below poverty line: N/A
Life expectancy: 44
Infant mortality: N/A
Access to med. services: N/A
HIV prevalence: 3.3%
Access to clean water: N/A
Access to electricity: N/A
Literacy rate: 59.3% for men and women
Doctors/people: N/A
Displaced people: N/A
Refugees: 438,700
Human Development Index: 0.384 (HDI 2006 Rank 169)
Sources: UNFPA, UNHCR, UNAIDS, World Bank, UNDP, WFP, WHO, Amnesty International
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| Basic facts | Capital: Bujumbura
Languages: Kirundi and French
Ethnic Groups: Hutu 85%, Tutsi 14% and Twa pygmies 1%
Religions: Christianity 67%, indigenous 23% and Islam 10%
Geography: landlocked on a rolling plateau with Lake Tanganyika in its southwest corner
Border countries: Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania
Natural resources: N/A
Agriculture products: coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, sugarcane, bananas, maize, manioc, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, beans, peas, wheat, peanuts, vegetables, plantains, livestock, fish
Sources: UNFPA, UNHCR, UNAIDS, World Bank, UNDP, WFP,WHO, Amnesty International
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