Assessing the Impact of the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement in the Burundi Conflict

The period following the Second World War was marked by a surge of intra-state conflicts on the African continent, and studies show that there have been more than thirty wars recorded in Africa since 1970 (Nhema, 2008). Burundi, a landlocked country located in East-Central Africa was of no exception. Since its independence in 1962, Burundi has been plagued by series of inter-ethnic conflicts caused by political instability and ethnic violence. The population of Burundi is made of three ethnic groups; 14 percent Tutsi, 85 percent Hutu, and one percent Twa. Conflict in Burundi has, since the end of colonialism been characterized by the unequal access to political power, especially between the two main groups, Tutsi and Hutu. The central thesis of this research focuses on the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement of August 20, 2000 and the role it has played in addressing the main causes of incessant instability in Burundi. It therefore focuses on three primarily objectives. The first objective aims at examining the involvement of political elite in fomenting instability and civil war since the end of colonialism. The second objective of this study focuses on assessing the suitability of the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement in redressing the issues underlying the civil war and political instability in Burundi. Finally, this study makes an outline of the efforts made by different stakeholders in achieving post-conflict reconciliation and peacebuilding in Burundi.