Burundi

BURUNDI AT A GLANCE

Continent: Africa

Geographic 
Coordinates:
3 30 S, 30 00 E

Borders: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania

Population: 10,395,931 (July 2014 est.)

Ethnic Groups: Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%, Europeans 3,000, South Asians 2,000

WHY PEOPLE WERE FORCED TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES:

Burundi’s first democratically elected president was assassinated in 1993. His death led to widespread violence between Tutsi and Hutu factions and to the deaths of more than 200,000 Burundians over a period of nearly a dozen years. During this conflict hundreds of thousands of Burundians were internally displaced or became refugees in neighboring countries. The first refugees from Burundi were resettled in Vermont in 2004.

BURUNDIANS IN VERMONT

NY Times article: Refugee Farmers find Solace on a Flood Plain (NY Times article on Burundi, Somali Bantu, and Bhutanese refugees in Vermont after Tropical Storm Irene)

Burundian Community of Vermont Celebration (The Burundian Community of Vermont’s celebration with cultural dances, drumming and children’s games. Remarks by the President of the Burundian American Association.)