Burundi Ethnic Strife 1970-1974
The Burundi ethnic strife of 1970-1974 was a flare-up of violence which resulted from the ancient enmity that exists between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes.
Burundi, along with Rwanda, achieved full independence from Belgium in 1962. However, the country was not left with a viable administration, for a military coup deposed King Mwami in 1966. King Mwami's son, who led the coup, took the throne, but was himself deposed by another military coup in the same year. This second coup was led by the prime minister Captain Michel Micombero. Micombero, now president, abolished the monarchy and declared Burundi a republic. However, Micombero was later deposed in 1976 by Lt. Col. Jean-Baptist Bagaza.
Civil unrest continued throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1972, the Hutus launched an unsuccessful rebellion against the Tutsi minority's domination of the country in an attempt to restore Ntare V to power. The rebellion led to 10,000 Tutsi dead and 150,000 Hutu were murdered a year later. This rebellion triggered the flight of hundreds of thousands of Burundians.
Traditional tribal enmity flared up whenever there was a government too weak to control the hostilities. The Hutu and Tutsi are still at odds as sporadic warfare continues.
