Negotiations and Power Sharing Arrangements in Burundi’s Peace Process: Achievements and Challenges

In October 1993 Burundi’s newly elected President Melchior Ndadaye was assassinated in a military coup attempt. This action led to upheaval and mass killings around the country, and ultimately to the eruption of a civil war. The conflict pitted the two major ethnic groups: the disadvantaged Hutu majority representing 85 percent of the population, and the dominating Tutsi minority representing 14 percent. The smallest ethnic group, the Twa, which represents 1 percent, was not involved in the conflict. In order to halt the spiral of violence, the involvement of the regional leadership and the international community became necessary. Following this involvement of external actors, peace negotiations were initiated. In August 2000 a peace and reconciliation agreement was signed between the warring parties despite the reluctance of some political actors who expressed multiple reserves. This paper analyzes three main factors that played a key role in breaking the deadlock of the negotiation process: war fatigue, the regional and broad international pressure, and the charisma of the chief mediator. The paper concludes by showing that monitoring how an agreement is implemented is crucial for peace sustainability.