Country: Burundi

Group: Hutu

Date Finalized: 21 September 2022

Team: Aria Robinson (lead), Jihui Kuang, Noelle Collings, Austyn Evans, Kelsey Dwyer, Anthony Un

Content Warning: Genocide, Racism, Lethal Violence, Violence to Children

Approximate Time Period: 1965 – 1999

The Hutu people of Burundi, Africa, have an extensive history of being displaced y. During the early 20th century, Germany and Belgium occupied Burundi, and colonial powers identified the ethnicities of Hutu and Tutsi to use as a tool to differentiate Burundians of different regions (Sommers 1995). They placed Tutsi people in positions of power over Hutu, creating class distinctions and social strife (CIA World Factbook 2022; SAHO 2016). From 1993 to 2004 violence persisted when the Tutsi-dominated army conducted a targeted genocide of Hutu people, pushing refugees into neighboring Tanzania (Minorities at Risk 2004). Hutu students and teachers were particularly targeted, with at least 300 of 700 reported missing due to both killings and fleeing to avoid Tutsi execution (Rene 2008). As recent as 1995, Tutsi armies perpetrated anti-Hutu violence and forced upwards of 50,000 Hutu people to flee Burundi (Adekanye 1996).  Violence in Burundi continued through the end of the 20th century, contributing to the continuing displacement of Hutu people. About 470,000 Hutu refugees were reported in Tanzania, comprising around 7% of the population (International Crisis Group 1999).  Burundi currently has a Hutu incumbent president, President Evariste Ndayishimiye; however, political violence continues to be reported as recently as January 2016 following President Nkurunziza’s re-election (SAHO 2016).

Data Quality: Data quality for evidence of Tutsi forcing away Burundi Hutu genocide is rated a 3/3 due to the strong amount of evidence gathered from both nonprofit organizations and peer-reviewed research.

Sources

  1. Adekanye, J.B. (1996). Rwanda/Burundi: ‘Uni-ethnic’ dominance and the cycle of armed ethnic formations. Social Identities, 2(1), 37-72. DOI: 10.1080/13504639652385 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13504639652385?casa_token=U-Qpm-2rLSkAAAAA:LYB0-yTzb_7HmEVijrNboAK41f12MW0aAY1zieBKvi_oqEfzimitNZV9fZO7AY6tZ6Xo0CH3SJJFSe8.
  2. CIA World Factbook. “Burundi.” Cia.gov, 2022, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/burundi/.
  3. International Crisis Group. “BURUNDIAN REFUGEES in TANZANIA: The Key Factor to the Burundi Peace Process.” crisisgroup.org, 30 Nov. 1999, https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/central-africa/burundi/burundian-refugees-tanzania-key-factor-burundi-peace-process.
  4. Minorities At Risk Project. “Chronology for Hutus in Burundi.” Refworld, 2004, www.refworld.org/docid/469f38731e.html.
  5. Rene, Lemarchand. (June 27, 2008). The Burundi Killings of 1972. SciencesPO. https://www.sciencespo.fr/mass-violence-war-massacre-resistance/en/document/burundi-killings-1972.html#title2.
  6. ​​Sommers, Marc. “Representing Refugees: Assessing the Role of Elites in Burundi Refugee Society.” Academia, 1995, https://www.academia.edu/6412996/Representing_Refugees_Assessing_the_Role_of_Elites_in_Burundi_Refugee_Society.
  7. South African History Online. (March 11, 2022). Burundi. https://www.sahistory.org.za/place/burundi.