Burundi
Summary
Burundi’s first democratically elected president was assassinated in October 1993 after only 100 days in office, triggering widespread ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions. More than 200,000 Burundians perished during the conflict that spanned almost a dozen years. Hundreds of thousands of Burundians were internally displaced or became refugees in neighboring countries. An internationally brokered power-sharing agreement between the Tutsi-dominated government and the Hutu rebels in 2003 paved the way for a transition process that integrated defense forces, and established a new constitution and elected a majority Hutu government in 2005. The government of President Pierre NKURUNZIZA, who was reelected in 2010 and again in a disputed election in 2015, continues to face many political and economic challenges. [1]
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Statistics
From the The Joshua Project [2]
In the News
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Prayer Guide
True peace and reconciliation is something to work toward. Revival in the 1950s brought blessing and great church growth, but a generation later the land is physically, morally and spiritually devastated. Most Burundians recognize the Church as the only institution in the land able to bring true reconciliation and peace; this in turn can be achieved only through God’s intervention. Pray that the spirits of enmity and vengeance may be bound by the power of Christ. Pray for the peace-building work of groups such as the National Council of Churches and its constituent members, of World Vision and World Relief, Tearfund, African Enterprise, the Alpha Course and many others.
Leadership for the churches is in short supply; violence caused the closure of Bible schools which in turn cut off the supply of trained leaders. Now, schools are being re-established and new ones opened, but poverty holds back many prospective students from enrolling. Ask the Lord for financial provision for those who wish to equip themselves for the Lord’s service. Pray also for the following, all vital in meeting the urgent need for Christian leaders:
- Bible schools and theological colleges. These include the Mweya Theological Institute (Free Methodists and WGM), a Pentecostal Bible school, the Matana Institute (Anglican-MAM) and Partners Trust International.
- Christian universities, a new development in Burundi. Most notable are Hope Africa University (Free Methodists) and the University of Light (Anglican). These seek to provide higher education with a biblical worldview, shaping the future leaders of the nation.
- Modular training and TEE. Both Great Lakes Outreach and Great Lakes Leadership Training (Friends) offer the former, while several groups, including Mweya, CMS and the LM offer TEE programmes. Emmaus, a Brethren ministry, runs BCCs not just in Burundi but throughout the region.