On our first night back in Burundi’s charming capital set on Lake Tanganyika we were all out at a popular local restaurant.  Suddenly we heard gun shots and mortars descending upon the city. 

Periodic gunfire is not uncommon in Bujumbura, but it was quickly clear that this was something else entirely.  We immediately made our way to IRC staff housing, forming a convoy of cars.

After a long silence, sounds of conflict that had once been part of the daily routine had now come back to haunt Burundi.  We continued to hear them sporadically over the next few days. 

It’s hard for me as an American to imagine what it must have been like to hear this violence every night— to live in fear that you and your family were in constant danger, that your home could be taken by soldiers and that at any minute you could be forced to flee and leave everything behind. 

I couldn’t help but wonder about the Burundians I met in the repatriation center who had been told it was safe to go home. They were now again hearing the same sounds of fighting that pushed them to Tanzania.  While I did not fear for my own safety, I was fearful for the safety of their hope and optimism that they could rebuild their country.

Immediately reports circulated that young people were being recruited to the rebel forces and that former combatants might rejoin the rebels.  I was only convinced further of the need to continue supporting the children and youth of Burundi, for they will be the generation responsible for building a peaceful and stable future. 

By the time I returned to New York, two weeks later, a sense of normalcy had returned to Bujumbura, but things were tense.  It is still not clear whether the attacks were initiated by government troops or the remaining rebel group, the FNL.  What was made clear is that peace in Burundi is not guaranteed, that despite its promising “post–conflict” status in NGO circles Burundi is in fact very fragile. 

But, there are promising signs.  This upsurge in fighting ended with an agreement between the government and FNL, and elections are planned for 2010.  As different actors pursue their own agendas, my International Rescue Committee colleagues in Burundi will continue to work to help refugees return home and rebuild their lives and their country in peace.

Barri Shorey is the International Rescue Committee‘s youth and livelihoods program manager based in New York City.  This guest post was the final in a series of three.  To learn more about IRC’s work in Burundi visit their blog, Voices from the Field.

Posted By: Michael Graham | August 01, 2008 | Comments (0)