BURUNDI

1. BURUNDI

3. BURUNDI Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa, bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura. At the beginning of the twentieth century, however, Germany and Belgium occupied the region and Burundi and Rwanda became a European colony known as Ruanda-Urundi. Presently, Burundi is governed as a presidential representative democratic republic. Burundi is one of the five poorest countries in the world. It has one of the lowest per capita GDPs of any nation in the world and a low gross domestic product largely due to warfare, corruption, poor access to education and the effects of HIV/AIDS. Burundi is densely populated and experiences substantial emigration. Cobalt and copper are among Burundi's natural resources, while coffee and sugar are two of its main exports.

4. TOPOGRAPHY Burundi is a country mainly of mountains and plateaus, with a western range of mountains running north–south and continuing into Rwanda. The highest point is Mt. Heha at 2,670 m (8,760 ft). The only land below 914 m (3,000 ft) is a narrow strip of plain along the Ruzizi River (about 800 m/2,600 ft), which forms the western border north of Lake Tanganyika. From the mountains eastward, the land declines gradually, dropping to about 1,400 m (4,600 ft) toward the southeastern and southern border. The average elevation of the central plateau is about 1,525 to 2,000 m (5,000 to 6,500 ft). The major rivers form natural boundaries for most of the country. The principal lakes are Tanganyika, Cohoha, and Rweru.

5. Historical developments & Human rights

6. Burundi is governed as a presidential representative democratic republic, with an estimated population of 10,557,259. The country has experienced a long history of social unrest and ethnic tension between the Hutu majority and Tutsi minority, with successive civil wars jeopardizing national development since Burundi’s decolonization as a Belgian territory in 1962. The most recent conflict broke out in 1993 with the assassination of Burundi’s first democratically elected President,MelchiorNdadaye, and led to large-scale violations of human rights and general impunity. In line with the Arusha Agreement of August 2000, peace was brokered between rebel groups the National Council for the Defense of Democracy–Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) and the National Forces of Liberation(FNL), and a new Constitutionwas adopted by national referendum in 2005. The Constitution established cognitive institutions of State, including the Executive, Judiciary, and Legislature, with a view to promoting the rule of law and a more cogent human rights framework.

7. In 2010, the incumbent CNDD-FDD party won its second municipal elections, despite accusations of intimidation, fraud, inciting political violence, and restricting freedoms of association and expression around election time. Accordingly, the legitimacy of these newly established institutions of State has been drawn into question in light of the irregularities and repression of the elections. The major challenge facing the advancement of human rights in Burundi continues to stem from the continuance of political volatility, and the persistence of discriminatory remedies of Customary Law in the absence of an accountable justice system. Burundi has, since gaining its independence, been cited as a State guilty of widespread violations of human rights. A 2010 Transparency International report named Burundi as the most corrupt country in East Africa.

8. HUMAN RIGHT LAWS

9. HUMAN RIGHTS IN BURUNDI Burundi saw some positive developments in 2011 with the creation of a National Independent Human Rights Commission and steps towards establishing a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. However, political violence escalated in the aftermath of the 2010 elections, with scores of politically-motivated killings in 2011. Members of both the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) and the former rebel group the National Liberation Forces (FNL) have used violence to settle political scores, with widespread impunity. While Burundian civil society and the press remain active and independent, civil society activists and journalists face constant harassment and intimidation for reporting human rights abuses. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11a41xGaEPw

10. MOST FAMOUS HUMAN RIGHTS EVENTS AND MOVEMENTS

11. Burundi: Human Rights Recommendations for Geneva Conference The conference in Geneva on October 29-30, 2012, bringing together the Burundian government, foreign governments, development partners, civil society organizations and other interlocutors, is an opportunity for the Burundian government and donors alike to prioritize human rights reforms and make concrete commitments to the protection of human rights. Discussions scheduled to take place at the conference on a range of themes, including peace-building and good governance, should lead to the consolidation of human rights reforms in Burundi, as well as agreement on measures to address ongoing concerns. The conference should secure the commitment of participants to put in place lasting measures to safeguard the gains made to date and prevent a deterioration of the human rights situation, especially in the period leading up to elections in 2015. http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/10/26/burundi-human-rights-recommendations-geneva-conference

12. M A J O R hum n IGHTS

13. THE RIGHT OF LIFE: the right to life, in Burundi, the government cannot give account of the people and their safety which brought about a huge tension and fear among the people living in the country, although it was guaranteed in the constitution 1993-2005. 2. THE PROHIBITION OF TORTURE : the rate of torture in the central African country is too high especially in 2007 and it’s a huge sin to humanity and it has been included in the human right law of Burundi to protect the people from being its victims. 3. RIGHT OF EQUAL SEXES : In Burundi women are underrepresented in all aspects, even in policy making, and this law have been made to allow every sex to contribute their idea for the well-being of the nation.

14. 4. RIGHT OF THE CHILD : In Burundi children are being pushed to join the army and some things against their wish, which is very wrong and also they are being put in same prison with criminals and rapists, which I see as abuse. 5. SEXUAL VIOLENCE : the phenomenon of sexual violence in Burundi, particularly against women and children have been cited by the working group as the major area of concern, even though there is no figure of how many assaults that took place in the country daily. 6. RIGHT OF VICTIMS : Due to nonstop chaos in Burundi since independence, their neighbors Rwanda, Congo and Tanzania have had many refugees from the devastated Burundi and when few returned in 1993, their homes have been claimed by others.

15. 7. RIGHT TO EQUAL JUSTICE : Although the constitution guaranteed fair justice, but it’s not been put into practice, the rich people are been favored in cases against the poor and the human right working group have decided to put an end to it in Burundi.

17. FIN!!! CappieUwalaka 211310067 Emmanuel Okoh 212210057