Burundi

1972

The Kingdom of Burundi has historically been marked by ethnic conflict between the Tutsi and the Hutu peoples. Under the rule of Tutsi King Mwambutsa IV, the Hutus were second class citizens and deemed unworthy of holding political office, despite being the ethnic majority. The execution of Ntare V in April 1972 led to the deaths of 150,000 Hutus. Prior to this, ethnic tensions and growing economic crisis contributed to the country’s general instability.

Genocide ensued and the remaining Hutus fled to Rwanda. In the initial phases of the killings there were clear signs of a structured campaign on behalf of one group against another. First the educated elite of the Hutu population was murdered. Once this had been completed, the Tutsi-controlled army moved onto the larger civilian populations. To date it is estimated that over 80,000 - 200,000 people were killed.