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1 1 (October 26, 1998)

handle is hein.crs/crsabbw0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 98-877 F October 26, 1998 CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS Web Burundi: Update Theodros Dagne, Specialist in International Relations With the assistance of Amanda Smith Foreign Affairs and National Defense Division Summary In recent months, President Pierre Buyoya's government has taken steps to strengthen democracy in Burundi in order to have the sanctions imposed by eight African nations lifted and bring greater stability to the small central African country. The government, twelve political parties, and three rebel groups have engaged in two rounds of peace talks mediated by former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere, and the third began on October 13 in Arusha. Despite progress and a cease-fire agreement, the eight African nations voted unanimously in February to keep sanctions in place, even though some of the leaders favored the lifting of sanctions. Violence has escalated in recent weeks, with increasing reports of attacks and human rights abuses by both Hutu rebel groups and the Tutsi-dominated army. Buyoya has stepped up an international campaign to gain support for the lifting of sanctions, and most observers seem to agree that his government has met all the conditions for the lifting of sanctions. Background Burundi, a nation of 6 million people and one of the poorest countries in Africa, gained its independence on July 1, 1962, from United Nations Trusteeship under Belgian administration. Since independence, Burundian politics has been largely dominated by the Tutsi-led military and political establishment. In June 1993, Major Pierre Buyoya, who came to power in a bloodless coup in September 1987, ended the political grip of the military when he accepted his defeat in a multi-party election that he had called. However, the transfer of power to a Hutu-led government did not end the influence of the Tutsi, who represent 14 percent of the population, while the Hutu are about 85 percent. Overview: Political Conditions In mid-1993, Melchior Ndadaye, a Hutu, became president and attempted to implement a number of important changes in local government, to build a multi-ethnic cabinet coalition, and to increase diversity in the army. Critics charged that his reforms increased divisions in the country and threatened the Tutsi. Opposing these changes, a small group of Tutsi army officers attempted a military putsch in October 1993, assassinating Ndadaye along with several of his ministers. The putsch failed, but sparked Congressional Research Service **** The Library of Congress

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