Great Lakes

The conflict context in the Great Lakes region is characterised by political instability, weak governance and cross-border armed groups, which has led to widespread violence and displacement. In Burundi, the present situation notably stems from a legacy of decades of cyclical violence linked to power, politics and ethnicity. In 2015, President Pierre Nkurunziza’s presidential candidacy and subsequent election for a third term in office, in violation to the spirit of the 2000 Arusha Accords, sparked a political crisis. Dynamics around the elections led to widespread protests, escalation of violence and a failed coup attempt. Many key political figures fled the country and Burundi fell into international isolation with critical consequences for the socio-economic situation in the country.

While there has been a swift in leadership, systemic reforms remain limited. The drivers of the crisis, including the severe restrictions on political opposition and civil society, as well as the lack of meaningful political dialogue, continue to persist. Lingering issues pertaining to stability, reconciliation, justice, security and wider societal questions such as marginalisation, exclusion and social divisions remain challenges to long-term political stability in the country.

Our work

CMI has been involved in supporting peace efforts in the Great Lakes region since 2014, in particular in Burundi ahead of and following the 2015 political crisis. CMI’s work has focused on supporting dialogue among parties in order to promote peaceful engagement in the political environment, in particular related to elections. In this respect, CMI also accompanied and complemented the East African Community-led facilitation process led by former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa. These formal regionally led mediation efforts have since then ended and the dialogue process has continued internally. CMI remains engaged with the parties informally.

CMI follows a confidential and discreet approach and provides safe, informal spaces where ideas can be explored, exchanged and tested towards finding common ground for peaceful solutions. Following the legacy of CMI’s founder, former President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari, our engagement in Burundi is based on CMI’s core principles of honest brokership, local ownership, inclusivity, complementarity and integrity.

Key results

By providing informal, strategic and targeted accompaniment to key national actors and structures, regional efforts and selected international actors, CMI has contributed to supporting a more conducive environment for political dialogue and to opening up political space in Burundi. CMI’s engagement in Burundi has facilitated the rapprochement of principal political parties, enabled concrete progress in the internalised political dialogue process to address key issues in a constructive and inclusive manner, contributed to the avoidance of violence in political competition and supported the strengthening of the country’s relations vis-à-vis regional actors and the international community.