LaNUBlog™

Burundi, one of the world's poorest nations, is struggling to emerge from a 12-year, ethnic-based civil war. Since independence in 1962 it has been plagued by tension between the usually-dominant Tutsi minority and the Hutu majority. The ethnic violence sparked off in 1994 made Burundi the scene of one of Africa's most intractable conflicts. It began to reap the dividends of a peace process, but faces the formidable tasks of reviving a shattered economy and forging national unity. At a glance *.Politics: Stability appeared to be within reach after years of bloody conflict, but post-election tension in 2010 renewed fears of civil war *.Economy: Half the population lives below the poverty line. Coffee and tea account for most of the foreign currency earnings *.International: The conflict in neighbouring DRCongo provides emerging rebel groups with room to plan attacks Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring In 1993 Burundi seemed poised to enter a new era when, in th...