Breaking the Cycle : A Strategy for Conflict-sensitive Rural Growth in Burundi

Burundi, situated in the heart of the Great Lakes Region, is one of the poorest nations in the world. Beset by coups d'états, presidential assassinations and genocide, the country has been caught in a cycle of violence and under-development whereby brief periods of peace have been followed by further state repression and armed conflict. The 2000 Arusha peace accords, the Pretoria agreement of late 2003, the peaceful elections of 2005, and the recent Dar es Salaam peace agreement with the Forces Nationales de Libération have ushered in a period of relative stability. This fragile political proc