Tensions are rising ahead of elections in Burundi, a small central African country still struggling to emerge from 13 years of civil war...

Two Burundian soldiers went on a shooting spree Saturday, killing a colleague and wounding a civilian in the latest in a string of incidents involving the army...

BURUNDI HOLDS A CRUCIAL PRESIDENTIAL election this June, and one thing is clear: It is up to member states of the East African Community to ensure that it is free, fair and peaceful...

An attacker in northern Burundi hurled a grenade into a home, killing a man, his wife and one of their children in the explosion on Thursday...

The group of around 110 soldiers were responsible for protecting leaders of the ex-rebel group the National Liberation Forces (FNL), while training a newly created FNL-national army coalition, which has now taken over from the AU...

Burundi's main anti-corruption watchdog on Monday alleged that funds allocated to the presidency had been misused and urged parliament to stall the 2010 budget vote...

Security Council today extended for another year the United Nations political mission in Burundi, calling for full support for next year's elections in the war-scarred African country while voicing concern at continuing human rights violations...

Burundi's government should immediately reverse a new policy of deporting Rwandan asylum seekers without considering their cases, Human Rights Watch said today. On November 27, 2009, Interior Minister Edouard Nduwimana ordered police to return 103 asylum seekers to Rwanda...

Months after transforming itself from a rebel movement into a political party, Burundi's Forces nationales de la liberation (FNL), is embroiled in a leadership wrangle that analysts warn could jeopardize the country's fragile peace...

The leader of Burundi's former rebel group on Thursday warned of a resumption of violence if the government recognises a splinter faction that claims to have ousted him...

Fifteen people were killed, 39 others were injured and three were missing under rubble when a building under construction collapsed in central Burundi, medical officials said on Friday ...

Rwanda and Burundi have joined the East African Community Customs Union, which should lead to lower prices, as goods from fellow members are now duty free...

In 2008, more than 1,000 people were killed and nearly 1,300 injured by armed violence in Burundi, where the homicide rate is relatively high at 12.3 for 100,000 inhabitants...

Integrating the Forces for National Liberation (FNL) is seen as the last hurdle for peace in Burundi, raising hopes that the tiny nation may shuck off its violent past...

The Supreme Court has sentenced El Hajji Hussein Radjabu to 13 years of imprisonment. The same court has sentenced five other people involved in the case to 13 years of imprisonment. Only two people including Jean Marie Bigirimana and Baudouin Libakale also known as Ndindi were sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment. These people were convicted of attempts to the State Security after Hussein Radjabu met former CNDD-FDD combatants with the intention of creating a rebel group. The Supreme Court delivered this verdict on April 3rd after a long period of deliberation.

There were protests today as the government was trying to demobilise more than 900 troops. Candidates to the demobilisation gathered this morning on the football pitch of Muha camp located in Bujumbura. Only about 200 volunteers to the demobilisation accepted to go to the demobilisation centre of Gitega. Others refused to go there on the ground that this demobilisation is spangled with irregularities. 18 officers and 169 sub-officers are part of this first group of candidates to the demobilisation composed of 916 troops.

Bujumbura hosts a regional workshop on gender mainstreaming as part of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. Today, the First Vice-President of the Republic, Dr Yves Sahinguvu, opened this three-day workshop. Delegates from 11 countries attend this workshop on the implementation of projects of the Great Lakes Pact on security, peace and development. The participating countries include Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Congo, Zambia, Centrafrica, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Angola. According to Burundi’s minister in charge of Gender Equality, Mrs Rose Nduwayo, the choice of Burundi to host this workshop ‚constitutes an incentive for Burundian people in search of stability.‚

Things might have gone from bad to worse for the ruling party. The East African Community may have rejected those elected to represent Burundi in the Community’s Parliament. According to some sources, Burundi’s candidates were rejected because of irregularities surrounding their election. This report has not been confirmed as the ministry in charge of regional integration denies that Burundi’s representatives were rejected.

Prices of imported commodities have risen sharply following the devaluation of the Burundi’s currency. The prices of almost all the imported products including households’ appliances have grown by 15 percent. While the world was facing the threat caused by the weakness of the dollar in comparison to the Euro, the Burundian currency continued to lose its value. Currently, a dollar is sold at circa 1,200 francs on the black market where foreign exchange bureaux have mushroomed uncontrollably. The dollar was sold at 1,108 francs in July 2007, and 1,167 in January 2008. This rise of prices is a blow to Burundians whose purchasing power has enormously diminished following the last civil war that lasted a decade as well as the mismanagement of the country’s assets. Despite the increase of the civil servants’ salaries by 34 percent which went into effect in January 2008 after too much wrangling, its effect on the ground remains unnoticeable. Since the announcement of this increase of the civil servants’ salaries in May 2007, prices of all commodities incessantly rose partly through increased taxes to increase revenues to cover the salary increase.

FNL dissidents looted three homes in the Mitakataka sector of Bubanza commune during the night of March 19. According to the victims, the FNL dissidents robbed them of 125,000 francs. Despite the intervention of security forces, the FNL dissidents succeeded in returning back to the waiting area of Randa although both sides traded gunfire. The inhabitants of Mitakataka recognised one of the attackers. The movements of FNL dissidents remain out of control despite the presence of the African Union peacekeepers in charge of security of the waiting sites of Randa and Buramata where more than 2,000 combatants are stationed.