Burundi
Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley where the African Great Lakes region and East Africa converge. It is bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and southeast, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west; Lake Tanganyika lies along its southwestern border. The capital cities are Gitega and Bujumbura, which is also the largest city.
The Twa, Hutu and Tutsi peoples have lived in Burundi for at least 500 years. For more than 200 of those years, Burundi was an independent kingdom, until the beginning of the 20th century, when Germany ruled the region. After the First World War and Germany's defeat, the League of Nations "mandated" the territory to Belgium. After the Second World War this transformed into a United Nations Trust Territory. Both Germans and Belgians ruled Burundi and Rwanda as a European colony known as Ruanda-Urundi. Burundi gained independence in 1962.
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Quotes
edit- It is important to respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Burundi and to continue to negotiate with the Burundian government.
- Peace talks are urgently needed on Burundi. Until they come, the volcano will continue to swirl, with regular eruptions, such as last week, in the worst case increasingly fierce. Until the ultimate eruption becomes inevitable.
- Not surprisingly, relations between Burundi and Rwanda have soured in the meantime, while Rwanda openly presents itself as "the protector of the Burundian people against their murderous president" and regularly suggests that it might intervene with its neighbours.
- The key to defusing the Burundian time bomb therefore lies both in Bujumbura and in Kigali. And a little bit in Brussels, where some key figures of the opposition to Petero Nkurunziza and his party have withdrawn. Our country could also play a role in this, by mediating and building bridges. After all, the confidence in 'the Belgians' still remains with many Burundian top figures, despite some harsh words in recent months.
