Overview of Human Rights in Burundi

Since 2002, over 230,000 Hutu refugees have returned to Burundi from Tanzania. Many fled the violence of the previous years and, since returning, now want to claim their lands and holdings. This could become an issue due to the fact there are still 250,000 ethnic Burundi refugees who might possibly repatriate and reclaim their lands.

While humanitarian relief agencies now have greater access to the local populations, poverty, food shortages, lack of basic infrastructure, and high levels of debt continue to undermine the ability to stabilize the nation and thus improve their human rights record.

In 2005, Burundi held elections for the first time in twelve years in what was perceived by international monitors to be a generally free and fair process. President Pierre Nkurunziza declared his commitment to righting the wrongs of past human rights abuses and establishing rule of law in a nation long marked by widespread violence and governmental corruption. However, after a year in office, many Burundians have been disappointed to see many governmental officials committing the same abuses as the old regime.

Despite the peace process, the Forces of National Liberation (FNL), a guerilla group that controlled much of the territory surrounding the capital city of Bujumbura, in  recent years, both guerilla and government soldiers killed, raped, abducted, and robbed hundreds of civilians. It is hoped that progress on the peace front, particularly FNL's decision to accept the peace deal in 2006, will bring an end to such abuses.

Meanwhile, hundreds of soldiers and military combatants who have ended their military activities have taken up lives of crime as there are no real prospects of employment in Burundi.

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank:

169th out of 177

Note: Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the level of well-being of nations in the world. It uses factors such as poverty, literacy, life-expectancy, education, gross domestic product, and purchasing power parity to assess the average achievements in each nation. It has been used in the United Nation’s Human Development Report since 1993.