Burundi risks

This item appears on page 20 of the June 2008 issue.

The Department of State continues to caution against traveling to Burundi.

Burundi was plagued by a civil war from 1993 to 2006 that often involved nongovernment, noncombatant targets. In September 2006, the government and the last remaining holdout rebel group from the peace process, the Palipehutu-FNL, signed a cease-fire agreement, but many of the cease-fire provisions have not been implemented and the rebels still retain the capability to conduct indirect fire attacks on the capital. In April 2008 rebel forces engaged Burundian military units just outside of the Bujumbura city limits.

Crime, often committed by groups of armed bandits or street children, poses the highest risk for foreign visitors. There are reports of armed criminals ambushing vehicles, particularly on the roads leading out of Bujumbura.