Burundi Update: A new hat for AMIB?

This situation report from the Institute for Security Studies provides an update on the military and political progress in Burundi as of March 2004, focusing on the implementation of the November 2003 cease-fire agreement and the potential for a United Nations peacekeeping mission to succeed the African Union's Mission in Burundi (AMIB).

• The cease-fire agreement signed on 16 November 2003 between the transitional government of Burundi (TgoB) and the CNDD-FDD has led to an effective cessation of hostilities in most of the country, though fighting continues in Bujumbura Rural between the Palipehutu-FNL and a coalition of the Burundian Army (FAB) and FDD.
• Efforts to integrate the CNDD-FDD into the national security structure are underway, including the appointment of Brigadier General Adolphe Nshimirimana as deputy chief of staff of the Burundi National Defence Force and the creation of a Joint Military High Command consisting of 20 FAB and 13 FDD members.
• The African Union's Mission in Burundi (AMIB), comprising 2,656 personnel from South Africa, Mozambique, Ethiopia, and military observers from Burkina Faso, Gabon, Mali, Togo, and Tunisia, is severely hampered by a lack of resources, limiting its role to protecting convoys and providing food to the FDD.
• Political progress includes the integration of CNDD-FDD members into a 27-member cabinet and the successful presidential rotation in May 2003 from Pierre Buyoya (Tutsi) to President Domitien Ndayizeye (Hutu).
• Holding general elections in November 2004 is considered unlikely due to the lack of a negotiated post-transitional constitution, the absence of an electoral law, the need to resettle approximately one million refugees and internally displaced persons, and the requirement for rebel combatants to disarm.
• A UN Department of Peace Keeping Operations (UNDPKO) evaluation team identified two primary options for UN involvement: continuing reliance on the regional initiative to allow the Security Council time to decide, or incorporating AMIB's military component into a future UN mission.
• The report notes a critical imbalance in security forces, stating that the 80,000-strong national army is unsustainable and violates agreements, while the national police force is extremely low at only 7,000 members.

APA

Boshoff, H. (2004). Burundi Update: A new hat for AMIB? Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/BURUNDIMAR04.PDF

Chicago

Boshoff, Henri. Burundi Update: A new hat for AMIB? Institute for Security Studies, 2004. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/BURUNDIMAR04.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Boshoff |first1=Henri |title=Burundi Update: A new hat for AMIB? |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=16 March 2004 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/BURUNDIMAR04.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{boshoff2004burundi, author = {Boshoff, Henri}, title = {{Burundi Update: A new hat for AMIB?}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2004}, month = mar, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/BURUNDIMAR04.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }