Peasants, Local Communities, and Central Power in Burundi

Abstract

Today Burundi resembles a torn-apart patchwork of Batutsi and Bahutu colonies by being divided territorially into almost isolated enclaves, ethnically purified to a high degree, and more or less closed off from their surrounding areas. Most Batutsi believe that they can only live in security if sheltered by the army in various urban agglomerations, including the capital, Bujumbura. By way of contrast, most Bahutu are to be found in the hills of the countryside in an often entrenched and hidden way, and close to economic self-sufficiency. Such an unusual situation is undoubtedly a big challenge to the relations that need to be established between state authorities and citizens in rural as well as urban areas.