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Burundi History:
Burundi
was first inhabited by the Twa a Pygmy tribe which however is now
a minority accounting for about 1 % of the Country’s population.
The Twa were followed by the Hutu then later the Tutsi. A monarchial
form of Government then developed and ruled over most of the Country’s
present boundaries. The Kingdom of Burundi, led by the Mwami (King)
came into existence from about the 16th Century and was interrupted
during colonial rule.
Colonial History:
Designated as Germany Colony following the Berlin Conference
of 1885, Burundi was annexed as part of German East Africa along
with Rwanda and Tanganyika. The Germans however did not establish
their presence until 1896 when a military outpost was built here.
During the 1st World War, Burundi was taken over by United Nations
Trusteeship under Belgian Administration. The Country had a peaceful
transition to independence on the 1st of July 1962, which led
to the return of rule under the Mwami.
Post Independence:
The Monarchy however did not last long and ethnic tensions heightened
Post-independence between the Hutu and the Tutsi tribes. The
end of the monarchy came in 1966 when Mwami Ntare V was overthrown
by the Burundian Army. This led to decades of armed ethnic conflict
and Burundi was ruled by a series of military governments and
at small intervals were short lived democratic governments. Though
a peace treaty was reached in 2005, armed conflict take place
in parts of the Country. Burundi at present has an elected government
under Presindent Pierre Nkurunziza.
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