Burundi: Second Republic (1976 - 1987)

Updated April 2005

Making good on his promises, under Bagaza Burundi returned to civilian rule in 1977 and Hutus were incorporated into the government. Concomitantly an anti-corruption drive was launched and eventually a limited land reform programme was embarked upon (Kimber 1996).

A new constitution was endorsed by a popular referendum and adopted in 1981. Burundi remained a one-party state and Bagaza was elected President in 1984 in a one-man race (Bayefsky.com 1992).

As the state centralised all decision making and information distribution it came into conflict with the Catholic Church. The church provided an alternative means for access to health-care, education and social mobilisation to that of the Tutsi controlled state. This culminated in the expulsion of missionaries and the nationalisation of Catholic schools (Nkurunziza & Ngaruko 2002, 57-58).

The early years of Bagaza's government were characterised by massive state investments financed through foreign loans. Since these investments were made to create new sources of income and patronage for the Bururi-Tutsi elite, and not to reach economic developmental goals, they had no long-term viability. They placed enormous demands on the country's balance of payments as it struggled to service foreign debt (Nkurunziza & Ngaruko 2002, 5-6).

By 1986 the situation had become untenable and Bagaza was forced to adopt a structural adjustment programme that included massive cuts in military and state spending. This proved to be Bagaza's undoing, for the military would not countenance the loss of jobs, income and patronage power this entailed, and he was deposed in 1987 (Kimber 1996).

References

BAYEFSKY.COM 1992 "Core reports: Burundi", [www] http://www.bayefsky.com/core/hri_core_1_add_16_1992.php [opens new window] (accessed 22 Oct 2007).

KIMBER, C 1996 "Coming to terms with barbarism in Rwanda and Burundi" IN International Socialism 73, December, [www] http://pubs.socialistreviewindex.org.uk/isj73/kimber.htm [opens new window] (accessed 22 Oct 2007)

NKURUNZIZA, JD & NGARUKO, F 2002, 17-19 "Explaining Growth in Burundi: 1960-2000 (Draft)", Centre for the Study of African Economies, [www] http://www.csae.ox.ac.uk/workingpapers/pdfs/2002-03text.pdf [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 22 Oct 2007).