Burundi

• equatorial;
• high plateau with considerable altitude variation (772 m to 2,670 m above sea level);
• average annual temperature varies with altitude from 23 to 17 degrees Celsius but is generally moderate as the average altitude is about 1,700 m;
• average annual rainfall is about 150 cm;
• two wet seasons (February to May and September to November), and two dry seasons (June to August and December to January)

agricultural land:

73.3%;

• arable land 38.9%;
• permanent crops 15.6%;
• permanent pasture 18.8%

forest:

6.6%

other:

20.1% (2011 est.)

• one of Africa's most densely populated countries;
• concentrations tend to be in the north and along the northern shore of Lake Tanganyika in the west;
• most people live on farms near areas of fertile volcanic soil

• flooding;
• landslides;
• drought

• soil erosion as a result of overgrazing and the expansion of agriculture into marginal lands;
• deforestation (little forested land remains because of uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel);
• habitat loss threatens wildlife populations

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Law of the Sea

• landlocked;
• straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed;
• the Kagera, which drains into Lake Victoria, is the most remote headstream of the White Nile

noun:

Burundian(s)

adjective:

Burundian

• one of Africa's most densely populated countries;
• concentrations tend to be in the north and along the northern shore of Lake Tanganyika in the west;
• most people live on farms near areas of fertile volcanic soil

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.89 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.74 male(s)/female

total population:

0.99 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

degree of risk:

very high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

malaria and dengue fever

water contact disease:

schistosomiasis

animal contact disease:

rabies (2016)

conventional long form:

Republic of Burundi

conventional short form:

Burundi

local long form:

Republique du Burundi/Republika y'u Burundi

local short form:

Burundi

former:

Urundi

etymology:

name derived from the pre-colonial Kingdom of Burundi (17th-19th century)

name:

Bujumbura

geographic coordinates:

3 22 S, 29 21 E

time difference:

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

history:

several previous; latest ratified by referendum 28 February 2005

amendments:

• proposed by the president of the republic after consultation with the government or by absolute majority support of the membership in both houses of Parliament;
• passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Senate membership and at least four-fifths majority vote by the National Assembly;
• the president can opt to submit amendment bills to a referendum;
• constitutional articles including those on national unity, the secularity of Burundi, its democratic form of government, and its sovereignty cannot be amended (2017)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

the father must be a citizen of Burundi

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

10 years

chief of state:

• President Pierre NKURUNZIZA (since 26 August 2005);
• First Vice President Gaston SINDIMWO (since 20 August 2015);
• Second Vice President Joseph BUTORE (since 20 August 2015);
• note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

• President Pierre NKURUNZIZA (since 26 August 2005);
• First Vice President Gaston SINDIMWO (since 20 August 2015);
• Second Vice President Joseph BUTORE (since 20 August 2015)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by president

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 21 July 2015(next to be held in 2020);
• vice presidents nominated by the president, endorsed by Parliament

election results:

Pierre NKURUNZIZA reelected president; percent of vote - Pierre NKURUNZIZA (CNDD-FDD) 69.4%, Agathon RWASA (Independents of Hope - Amizerio y'Abarundi) 19%, other 11.6%

description:

bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Inama Nkenguzamateka (43 seats in the July 2015 election; 36 members indirectly elected by an electoral college of provincial councils using a three-round voting system, which requires a two-thirds majority vote in the first two rounds and a simple majority vote for the two leading candidates in the final round; 4 seats reserved for former heads of state, 3 seats reserved for Twas, and 30% of all votes reserved for women; members serve 5-year terms) and the National Assembly or Inama Nshingamateka (121 seats in the June 2015 election; 100 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and 21 co-opted members – 3 seats reserved for Twas and 30% of total seats reserved for women; members serve 5-year terms)

elections:

Senate - last held on 24 July 2015 (next to be held in 2019); National Assembly - last held on 29 June 2015 (next to be held in 2020)

election results:

• Senate - percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - CNDD-FDD 33, FRODEBU 2, CNDD 1, former heads of state 4, Twas 3, women 8;
• National Assembly - percent of vote by party (provisional results) - CNDD-FDD 60.3%, Independents of Hope 11.2%, UPRONA 2.5%, other 26%;
• seats by party - CNDD-FDD 77, Independents of Hope 21, UPRONA 2, women 18, Twas 3

highest court(s):

Supreme Court (consists of 9 judges and organized into judicial, administrative, and cassation chambers); Constitutional Court (consists of 7 members)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court judges nominated by the Judicial Service Commission, a 15-member independent body of judicial and legal profession officials), appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate;
• judge tenure NA;
• Constitutional Court judges appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate and serve 6-year nonrenewable terms

subordinate courts:

• Courts of Appeal;
• County Courts;
• Courts of Residence;
• Martial Court;
• Court Against Corruption;
• Commercial Court;
• Commerce Court

• Front for Democracy in Burundi or FRODEBU [Keffa NIBIZI]
• Independents of Hope (Amizero y'Abarundi) [Agathon RWASA and Charles NDITIJE]
• Movement for Solidarity and Development or MSD [Alexis SINDUHUE]
• National Council for the Defense of Democracy - Front for the Defense of Democracy or CNDD-FDD [Evariste NDAYISHIMIYE]
• National Liberation Forces or FNL [Jacques BIGITIMANA]
• Union for National Progress (Union pour le Progress Nationale) or UPRONA [Abel GASHATSI]

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge D’Affaires Benjamin MANIRAKIZA (since 7 December 2017)

chancery:

2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 408, Washington, DC 20007

telephone:

[1] (202) 342-2574

FAX:

[1] (202) 342-2578

chief of mission:

Ambassador Anne S. CASPER (since 20 October 2016)

embassy:

Avenue Des Etats-Unis, Bujumbura

mailing address:

B.P. 1720, Bujumbura

telephone:

[257] 22-207-000

FAX:

[257] 22-222-926

• divided by a white diagonal cross into red panels (top and bottom) and green panels (hoist side and fly side) with a white disk superimposed at the center bearing three red six-pointed stars outlined in green arranged in a triangular design (one star above, two stars below);
• green symbolizes hope and optimism, white purity and peace, and red the blood shed in the struggle for independence;
• the three stars in the disk represent the three major ethnic groups: Hutu, Twa, Tutsi, as well as the three elements in the national motto: unity, work, progress

name:

"Burundi Bwacu" (Our Beloved Burundi)

lyrics/music:

Jean-Baptiste NTAHOKAJA/Marc BARENGAYABO

note: adopted 1962

• light consumer goods (sugar, shoes, soap, beer);
• cement, assembly of imported components;
• public works construction;
• food processing (fruits)

agriculture:

93.6%

industry:

2.3%

services:

4.1% (2002 est.)

lowest 10%:

4.1%

highest 10%:

28% (2006)

general assessment:

sparse system of open-wire, radiotelephone communications, and low-capacity microwave radio relays

domestic:

• telephone density one of the lowest in the world;
• fixed-line connections stand at well less than 1 per 100 persons;
• mobile-cellular usage is approaching 50 per 100 persons

international:

country code - 257; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2016)

• state-controlled Radio Television Nationale de Burundi (RTNB) operates a TV station and a national radio network;
• 3 private TV stations and about 10 privately owned radio stations;
• transmissions of several international broadcasters are available in Bujumbura (2017)

total:

12,322 km

paved:

1,500 km

unpaved:

10,822 km (2016)

country comparison to the world: 128

• 18 years of age for voluntary military service;
• the armed forces law of 31 December 2004 did not specify a minimum age for enlistment, but the government claimed that no one younger than 18 was being recruited;
• mandatory retirement ages: 45 (enlisted), 50 (NCOs), 55 (officers), and 60 (officers with the rank of general) (2017)

• Burundi and Rwanda dispute two sq km (0.8 sq mi) of Sabanerwa, a farmed area in the Rukurazi Valley where the Akanyaru/Kanyaru River shifted its course southward after heavy rains in 1965;
• cross-border conflicts persist among Tutsi, Hutu, other ethnic groups, associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government forces in the Great Lakes region

refugees (country of origin):

61,427 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (2017)

IDPs:

187,626 (some ethnic Tutsis remain displaced from intercommunal violence that broke out after the 1993 coup and fighting between government forces and rebel groups; violence since April 2015) (2017)

stateless persons:

974 (2016)

current situation:

• Burundi is a source country for children and possibly women subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking;
• business people recruit Burundian girls for prostitution domestically, as well as in Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, and the Middle East, and recruit boys and girls for forced labor in Burundi and Tanzania;
• children and young adults are coerced into forced labor in farming, mining, informal commerce, fishing, or collecting river stones for construction;
• sometimes family, friends, and neighbors are complicit in exploiting children, at times luring them in with offers of educational or job opportunities

tier rating:

• Tier 3 – Burundi does not comply fully with the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so;
• corruption, a lack of political will, and limited resources continue to hamper efforts to combat human trafficking;
• in 2014, the government did not inform judicial and law enforcement officials of the enactment of an anti-trafficking law or how to implement it and approved – but did not fund – its national anti-trafficking action plan;
• authorities again failed to identify trafficking victims or to provide them with adequate protective services;
• the government has focused on transnational child trafficking but gave little attention to its domestic child trafficking problem and adult trafficking victims (2015)