Burundi

This Page was last updated on the 27th. November, 2006.

Country News	Burundi has been undergoing a proccess of reconciliation after thirteen years of intenal strife. In September 2006 the FNL rebels signed a ceasefire and agreed to disarm. The proccess is being monitored by an African Union force including South African troops. They are the last rebel group out of seven to do so. Meanwhile, the trial of seven people, including Domitien Ndayizeye (the President of Burundi during the transition period, who handed over to the current President), has been suspended when the suitability of the judges was questioned. They are accused of plotting a coup. One hundred thousand internally displaced persons and 390,000 refugees need to be reintegrated into society, and serious disagreements over land are likely. Serious human rights violations are continuing in Burundi, says the U.N. which has a human rights section in the ir operation in the country, called ONUB. The government denies the security services are involved in killing od persons suspected of being sympathetic to the FNL. Catholic Church News. From Vatican City, Agenzia Fides reported that: the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, on 25 November 2006, created the new ecclesiastical province of Bujumbura, with territory taken from the ecclesiastical Province of Gitega (Burundi). The Ecclesiastical Province includes the suffragan dioceses of Bubanza and Bururi. The Holy Father appointed first Metropolitan Archbishop of Bujumbura, Bishop Evariste Ngoyagoye, until now bishop of the same diocese.
Official Name	Republic of Burundi (Republika y'u Burundi)
Former Name	Ruanda-Urundi (came under German East African administration in 1899; Belgian troops occupy area in 1916; Belgium receives League of Nations mandate of Ruanda-Urundi in 1923.)
Capital	Bujumbura
Main Towns	Bujumbura (pop. approx. 800,000), Bubanza, Bururi, Cibitoke, Gitega, Muyinga, Ngozi, Rumonge
Subdivisions	16 provinces: Bubanza, Bujumbura, Bururi, Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo, Makamba, Muramvya, Muyinga, Mwaro, Ngozi, Rutana, Ruyigi.
Independence	1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration)
Constitution	13 March 1992; provided for establishment of a plural political system; supplanted on 20 October 2004 by a provisional constitution approved by the parliament which extended the transition; a 28 February 2005 popular referendum ratified the new constitution which set ethnic quotas for government positions, and tentatively scheduled general elections for April 2005
National Holiday	Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
UN Membership	18 September 1962
OAU Membership	25 May 1963 – now African Union (AU)
Commonwealth	n/a
Other Organisations	In alphabetical order according to abbreviation/acronym: Agency for the French-Speaking Community (ACCT), Africa-Caribbean-Pacific-European Union (ACP-EU), African Development Bank (AfDB or AFDB), Central African States Economic Community (CEAC), Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL), Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Group of 77 at the United Nations (G-77), International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), International Criminal Court (ICCt - signatory), International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRM), International Development Association (IDA), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), International Finance Corporation (IFC), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS), International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Organisation for Migration (IOM - observer), International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO - subscriber), International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Non Aligned Movement (NAM), Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Universal Postal Union (UPU), World Customs Organization (WCO, former Customs Cooperation Council [CCC]), World Health Organisation (WHO), World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), World Tourism Organisation (WToO), World Trade Organisation (WTrO).
Population	World Bank Figures: 6,677,950 (1999), 6,807,000 (2000), 6,938,011 (2001), 7,070,999 (2002), 7,205,982 (2003) Other Sources: 8,262,429 (July 1995), 6,223,897 (July 2001 est.) 6,096,156 (July 2003 est.), 6,370,609 (July 2005 est.)
Area	10,745 sq. mls. (27,830 sq. kms.)
Density	198 per sq.km. (1995)
Highest Point	Mt. Heha 8,760 ft. (2,670 m.)
Lowest Point	Lake Tanganyika 2,534 ft. (772 m.)
Neighbours	Rwanda (N), Tanzania (S & E), Zaire (W)
Life Expectancy	49 years (1995), total population: 46.06 years, male: 45.15 years, female: 46.99 years (2001 est.) total population: 43.2 years male: 42.54 years female: 43.88 years (2003 est.) total population: 43.5 years male: 42.91 years female: 44.12 years (2005 est.)
Infant Mortality Rate	total: 71.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 64.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 78.45 deaths/1,000 live births total: 69.29 deaths/1,000 live births male: 75.87 deaths/1,000 live births female: 62.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS	adult prevalence rate: 8.3% (2001 est.), 6% (2003 est.) people living with HIV/AIDS: 390,000 (2001 est.), 250,000 (2003 est.) deaths: 40,000 (2001 est.), 25,000 (2003 est.) IRIN Plus News - HIV/AIDS Treatment Map: Burundi - Updated: Sept 2004 Population: 7.1 million HIV Prevalence Rate (%) 2003 End: 6.0 No. Of People living with HIV/AIDS: 250,000 No. Of People in need of ART: 25,000 No. Of People Currently On ART (Sep 04): 5,000 No. Of People on ART Public Sector: 1,500 No. Of People on ART in Non Govt Programmes: 3,500 No. Of People Exptd to be on ART (2005 End): 12,500 Front Line Drug Regimen: Zidovudine (or Stavudine)+Lamivudine+Etavirenz (or Nevirapine) HIV/AIDS Treatment Sites: 23 Global Fund 2 Year Approved Funding (Round 2: Approved 10-Apr-03): US$4,877,000.00 Total Funds Disbursed By The Global Fund: US$3,789,850.00 Total Funds Disbursed By The World Bank Multi-Country HIV/AIDS Programme (MAP): US$36 million Total Funds Disbursed By PEPFAR: Nil Source: UNAIDS, Ministry of Health, WHO
Adult Literacy Rate	total population: 35.3%, male: 49.3%, female: 22.5% (1995 est.) total population: 51.6% male: 58.5% female: 45.2% (2003 est.)
Ethnic Groups	Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%, Europeans 3,000, South Asians 2,000
Languages	Kirundi (official), French (official), KiSwahili (widely spoken along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area)
Religions	Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%), indigenous beliefs 23%, Muslim 10%
Type of Government	Republic, multiparty democratic rule.
President	Pierre Nkurunziza (since August 19, 2005)
Prime Minister	---
Political Parties	Unity for National Progress (UPRONA); Burundi Democratic Front (FRODEBU); Burundi African Alliance for the Salvation (ABASA); Rally for Democracy and Economic and Social Development (RADDES); Party for National Redress (PARENA); People's Reconciliation Party (PRP)
Ruling Party	governing parties are the Unity for National Progress (UPRONA) and Burundi Democratic Front (FRODEBU)
Currency	Burundi Franc (BFr, BIF)(100 centimes) Burundi francs per US dollar - 1,100.91 (2004), 1,082.62 (2003), 930.75 (2002), 830.35 (2001), 720.67 (2000)
GDP	US$169 (1992) US$1,062m (1995) GDP: US$600m (2004) purchasing power parity - $4.001 billion (2004 est.) per capita purchasing power parity - US$600 (2002 est.), US$600 (2004 est.)
GNP	US$210 (1992) US$185 (1994) US$160 (1995)
Per Capita Income	Per capita GDP: US$87.3 (2003), US$96 (2004 est.)
Population Below Poverty Line	68% (2002 est.)
Land Use	arable land: 35.05% permanent crops: 14.02% other: 50.93% (2001) Irrigated land: 740 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural Resources	nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum, vanadium, arable land, hydropower, niobium, tantalum, gold, tin, tungsten, kaolin, limestone
Oil and Natural Gas	production: 0 bbl/day (2001 est.) consumption: 2,750 bbl/day (2001 est.) exports: NA (2001) imports: NA (2001)
Military	Branches: Army (naval and air units), Gendarmerie Manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,375,900 (2003 est.) males age 16-49: 1,379,793 (2005 est.) Expenditures - US$42.13 million, 5.3% of GDP (FY02), US$38.7 million, 6% of GDP (2004)
Economic Aid Received	US$92.7 million (2000) Aid per Capita (World Bank): US$11 (1999), US$14 (2000), US$20 (2001), US$24 (2002), US$31 (2003)
Debt	Severely indebted (HIPC) World Bank Figures: US$643,699,968 (2000), US$648,300,032 (2001), US$750,499,968 (2002), US$936,400,000 (2003) Other Sources: US$1,157m (1995), US$1.12 billion (1999 est.) US$1.14 billion (2001) US$1.133 billion (2002)
Major Imports	Machinery & equipment 18% Petroleum products 15% Food 10% capital goods, petroleum products
Imports from	EU 39%, Tanzania 9.5%, Kenya 6.2%, US 4% (2001) Kenya 11.7%, Tanzania 9.6%, US 9.1%, Belgium 9%, France 8.8%, Italy 5.4%, Japan 4.8%, Uganda 4.8%, Zambia 4.2% (2004) US $138.2 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Major Exports	Coffee 75% Tea 5% Cotton fabrics 3% hides
Exports to	EU 45%, Switzerland 32.6%, Kenya 17.4%, US 6% (2001 est.) Switzerland 25.8%, Germany 12.2%, Belgium 7.9%, US 5.5%, Thailand 5.3%, Rwanda 5.2% (2004) US$31.84 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

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The White Fathers, Sutton Coldfield, 27 November, 2006

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