Migration in Burundi: History, Current Trends and Future - MGSoG ...

with donor assistance and low levels of government intervention. Basdevant further
suggests that focus should be placed on the agricultural sector, specifically on the export-
producing industries of coffee, tea, and sugar. Baghdadli, Harborne and Rajadel (2008)
also argue that agriculture investments are key to Burundi’s economic reconstruction
since this sector accounts for a large part of the country’s economy. 3 The World Bank
(2009a), however, warns that agriculture is a sector highly vulnerable to environmental
shocks in Burundi (World Bank, 2009a). 4
2.5 Political situation
As previously stated Burundi gained political independence in 1962. A period of political
stability initially followed (see Table 3) that was characterized by a combination of
emerging democracy, military regimes, one-party state systems, and restricted democratic
practices. After many fruitless attempts to reconstruct peace in Burundi, the Arusha
Peace and Reconciliation Accords were signed by seventeen Burundian political groups
in August 2000.
Table 3: Political Situation in Burundi: 1962 - current
Period Political situation
1962 – 1966 Emerging democracy
1966 – 1974 Military regime and one-party state (UPRONA)
1974 – 1976 One-party state (UPRONA)
1976 – 1979 Military regime
1979 – 1987 One-party state (UPRONA)
1987 – 1992 Military regime and one-party state (UPRONA)
1992 – 1993 Multi-party transition
1993 Democracy
1993 – 1996 Restricted democratic practice
1996 Military regime
1996 – 2001 Restricted democratic practice
2001 – 2005 Transitional government
2005 - current Democracy
Source: AED, 2006.
The Arusha Accords led the country into a transition phase between 2000 and 2005 to a
multi-party democratic political system (Bentley & Southall, 2005). A transitional
government based on a power sharing agreement between ethnicities was appointed in
2002. In a national referendum held in February 2005, the Burundians adopted a new,
3 In 2005, 90.6 percent of Burundi’s area land was used for agriculture, and agricultural practices accounted
for 35 percent of GDP (World Bank, 2008a). Around 800,000 small farmers grow coffee. Over the last
years, coffee constituted around 75 percent of export revenues (Basdevant, 2009).
4 Due to a draught in 2005, for example, GDP growth declined to 0.9 percent in that year (World Bank,
2009)
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