1993 - 2005 - Občanská válka v Burundi

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The beginning of the civil war in Burundi is generally considered to be the date 21.10.1993, when Melchior Ndadaye, the country's president, was assassinated in a military coup. Ndadaye was the first president of Burundi from the Hutu tribe and also the first democratically elected president. The exact circumstances of his death are not clear.


It is known that insurgents from the ranks of soldiers providing protection for state officials at dawn 21.10.1993 took the president along with other important government officials (President of the National Assembly Pontien Karibwami, Vice-President of the National Assembly Gilles Biamzubut and some other members of the government) to the barracks under the pretext of protecting them from the rebels. In the barracks, the internees were subsequently brutally murdered by bayonets.


The coup was organized by a group of officers associated in the so-called Public Salvation Committee. After the assassination of the president, the rebels appointed another Hutu - Francois Ngeze, who served as interior minister in the government and was an unsuccessful opponent of the assassinated president in the July 1993 elections. The president's death had serious consequences throughout the country. There have been armed rifts between supporters of the assassinated president and supporters of the insurgents. The situation was not calmed by the decision of the incumbent president, who refused to support the rebels and called on Prime Minister Silvia Kinigi, who used asylum in front of the rebels at the French embassy to take power. Kinigi became vice president on October 27, 1993, and this move was also supported by key army commanders, thus failing the military coup.


Nevertheless, violence continued, often organized with the support of state authorities, targeting mainly members of the Tutsi tribe (the UN later described the events of October 1993 as the Tutsi genocide). Retaliatory measures by the Tutsis (in which members of the army were also involved) did not take long, and a spiral of violence broke out in the country with thousands of innocent victims. In February 1994, the parliament elected a new president, Cyprien Ntaryamira. The attempt to politically resolve the differences between the two majority ethnic groups in the country was torpedoed by a tragic accident that occurred April 6, 1994. On that day, a presidential plane was shot down in Kigali, the capital of neighboring Rwanda, in which Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian President Cyprien Ntaryamira were traveling, both of whom died in the accident. While the death of the President of Rwanda plunged Rwanda into general chaos and bloodshed, the security situation in Burundi has only "deteriorated". Inter-tribal violence and riots continued, but there were no massacres of the same magnitude as in neighboring Rwanda.


08.04.1994 Sylvestre Ntibantunganya was elected the new president of the country for a period of 4 years, while the Tutsi and Hutu politicians were divided between the Hutus gaining the presidency and the Tutsi control of the army. The security situation in the country remained poor, and the influx of tens of thousands of Rwandan refugees, including not only people fleeing the violence, but also armed groups directly involved in the violence, helped to perpetuate the inter-tribal conflict in Burundi. 20.07.1996 Hutu insurgents murdered about 300 Tutsis. It was the inability of the executive to prevent bloodshed in the country that 25.07.1996 led to another military coup led by former President 1987-1993 Pierre Buyoy, giving the Tutsis control over not only the military, but also over the executive power in the country (nevertheless, a member of the Hutu tribe won the chair of the vice-president). But the violence continued. 05.01.1997 Another massacre occurred when members of the Amrad killed at least 126 refugees from the Hutu tribe.


In 1998, an agreement was reached between the president and the opposition controlling the parliament to create a transitional constitution, and Buyoya was sworn in as president for another term.Despite the efforts of politicians and the support of the international community, violence in the country continued. In 2000, another round of political talks began, during which a political agreement was reached on how to divide power between the Tutsis and the Hutus. By consensus, it was agreed to form a transitional government in which both ethnic groups would be represented and would take turns in leadership every 18 months. The resulting document was signed by government officials and 3 Tutsi groups. On the contrary, the two main Hutu rebel groups refused to participate in the negotiations or the signing of the final documents. Fighting between the enemy and the parties continued.


18.04.2001 there was another attempted military coup in the country during the absence of the president in the country (he participated in negotiations with the Hutuami in Gabon). Despite the fact that the insurgents led by a group of young officers occupied some strategic objects, they were very quickly suppressed by soldiers loyal to the president.
A transitional government was finally formed in October 2001, but the main Hutu rebel groups again refused to sign a ceasefire. On the contrary, 25.12.2001 A large group of insurgents attacked military positions. Despite the fact that the insurgents were repulsed and lost about 500 fighters, in the following period there was an increase in combat activity on both sides. The violence culminated 09.09.2002 in the so-called Itab massacre, where government forces murdered hundreds (estimated at 173 to 267) of unarmed civilians, especially women and children.


09.04.2003 The African Union military mission began operating in the country. 18.10.2003 Foreign troops reached full status and a stabilization mission of 1483 South African, 820 Ethiopian and 232 Mozambican troops operated in the country.


Meanwhile, rebel attacks continued - in July, 300 people died in their attack on Bujumbura and about 15,000 were forced to flee their homes.
In the same month, the head of government changed - Domitien Ndayizeye, a member of the Hutu tribe, became president, and in November 2003, at the African Leaders' Summit in Tanzania, an agreement was signed with the strongest group of Hutus rebels - National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces. for the Defense of Democracy (FDD). Under the agreement, the FDD became a political party and FDD fighters were incorporated into the government army.


However, the agreement with the leading Hutus group did not bring complete peace to the country. Other Hutus armed groups continued to fight. 29.12.2003 The papal nuncio Michael Courtney was assassinated, and in 2004 the Hutus rebels in the Forces of National Liberation (FNL) claimed responsibility for the massacre of 160 Congolese Tutsis in a refugee camp under administration. UN in Gatumba (Burundi). The massacre, in which the attackers shot and subsequently set fire to many women and children in their shelters, was condemned by the world community and at the same time stepped up its efforts to end the conflict. By December 2004, several thousand fighters from the warring parties (including government forces) had been disarmed under UN supervision. Negotiations between the opposing parties continued in 2005. Legislative amendments were adopted in January 2005, gradually incorporating into the national army almost all (except one) armed Hutus rebel groups. A new constitution was adopted, new elections were held and the process was completed 15.04.2006, when the night curfew was lifted throughout the country.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burundian_Civil_War

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5323328.stm