Hutu-Tutsi Conflict in Burundi: A Critical Exploration of Factors

Abstract

The scenario of genocidal war that broke out in 1994 in Burundi and Rwanda is the worst of its kind that ever happened on the African continent. The war broke out between the two major ethnic groups, Hutu and Tutsi, in Rwanda and Burundi which led to the death of over 800,000 people in both countries. The failure of the international community, the regional body and the East African Community, to instantaneously intervene to prevent the genocide war has been given scholarly attention by scholars whereas the main factors behind the outbreak of the war have not been properly delved into. Given the currency of the issue in the East African region, the article examines those factors that have given rise to the Hutu-Tutsi conflict in Burundi. It seeks to provide an analytical framework upon which the conflict can be understood. In this way, the article presents Burundi as a case study. It is believed that understanding Burundi scenario can shed light on those factors that led to the war in both Burundi and Rwanda. In doing this, we rely on existing works and documents of which we employed content analysis to critically interpret.