Burundi

Republic of Burundi

Once a part of German East Africa, the land encompassing the Republic of Burundi (République du Burundi) became a Belgian mandate territory following the First World War, part of a suzerainty called Ruanda-Urundi. Belgium administrated the region, but allowed the continuation of traditional kingship dynasties for the next thirty years. In 1959, Burundi's ruler Mwami Mwambutsa IV requested that Ruanda-Urundi be dissolved into two seperate nations, Burundi and Rwanda, influenced to some extent by the instability and ethnic persecution that was happening in Rwanda, in which thousands of ethnic Tutsi had been slaughtered by the more numerous Hutu. In Burundi, meanwhile, many Hutu were killed in retaliation. The nation declared its independence in July 1962, officially changing its name to Burundi and naming Mwami Mwambutsa IV as monarch. Political discontent and ethnic violence continued, however, with sometimes brutal suppression of Hutu attacks, and Tutsi domination of the Army and the Police.

In 1966, the monarchy was abolished by the Prime Minister and the nation declared a republic, although in effect it was a military regime. A militant uprising by the Hutu-dominated Umugambwe w'Abakozi b'Uburundi or Burundi Workers' Party (UBU) was brutally suppressed by the Army (still largely Tutsi-controlled) in 1972, with many Hutus fleeing to neighboring Rwanda and Tanzania. A few years later, in 1976, Colonel Jean-Baptiste Bagaza took power in a bloodless coup and promoted various reforms in an attempt to quell the ethnic violence. Burundi continued to function as a one-party state, however, with political opponents being repressed under Bagaza.

Major Pierre Buyoya overthrew Bagaza in 1987, suspending the constitution, dissolving political parties, and reinstating military rule under the Military Committee for National Salvation (CSMN). In the north, anti-Tutsi ethnic propaganda sparked more killings in 1988, with as many as 5,000 dead. Government reprisals were not forthcoming, and Buyoya later appointed a new government with an equal number of Hutu and Tutsi represented.

The first Hutu head of state, Melchior Ndadaye, was elected in 1993, but when he was assassinated by Tutsi soldiers in October of that year, a civil war erupted that lasted nearly twelve years and claimed over 300,000 dead. In 1996 a military coup d'etat siezed power and installed Pierre Buyoya as president again. Peace talks resulted, and after four years of negotiation a transitional government for Burundi was planned as a part of the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement, although in fact the war lasted several more years. It was only in 2005 that a full and lasting peace was established under the Arusha Accords, paving a way for the presidency of Pierre Nkurunziza.

Established in 1962, the Burundi National Army (Armée Nationale Burundaise) was formed out of the Burundian National Guard (Garde Nationale) that had been created in 1960 by the Belgian colonial administration. At the same time, a Gendarmerie Nationale was esablished to perform internal security and law enforcement duties, although it would be integrated into the Army in 1967. During the ethnic and political purges of the 1970s, the Army would shrink to less than 3,000 personnel; this would double to around 6,000 by the early 1980s. During the Civil War, both sides made use of child soldiers to fill their ranks.

Today, the Forces de Defense Nationales de Burundi (FDNB) consists of the Ground Force (Army), a small naval force consisting primarily of patrol boats, and a small Air Force of mostly utility and transportation aircraft. The Ground force includes 2 light armored squadrons, 7 infantry battalions, an artillery battalion, engineer battalion, and air defense battalion, as well as the 22nd and 124th Commando Battalions, and the 121st Parachute Regiment (121e Régiment de Parachutistes.)

The Police de sécurité publique (Public Security Force) was established in 1990 as a civilian police force. In December 2004, this organization became the Police nationale du Burundi (PNB) which has expanded duties that include internal security, border control, and operation of the nation's penitentiary system. The Police de sécurité intérieure (PSI) or Internal Security Police function as a gendarmerie.

Camouflage Patterns of Burundi

• Some units of the post-colonial Army, particularly elite formations such as the 2nd Commando Battalion (Presidential Guard) and the 1st Parachute battalion, were issued Belgian jigsaw pattern camouflage uniforms.

• Having a slightly different color palette to the Belgian design, this version of jigsaw was issued in the 1980s to elite formations of the Army. This pattern features large sections of reddish brown and dark olive green, with smaller areas of black, on a khaki background. VEry similar in coloration to Belgian "moon & balls" designs.

• This unique jigsaw design has been issued to the Army of Burundi since the late 1980s, based on the original Belgian design but having a different coloration. This pattern would remain in service with the armed forces until the early 2000s. It is interesting to note that some versions of the pattern seem to have much less contrast between the colors, which may indicate a different batch of dyes were used, or that the dyes were not colorfast and have bled into each other after only a few washings.

• Entering service right around 1995 or 1996, the certain units of the Public Security Force adopted a blue-dominant version of the jigsaw camouflage design. Most personnel at this time wore only solid blue uniforms, and would continue to do so into the present era. This design remained in circulation until the early 2000s, when it would be replaced by a woodland-leaf hybrid design with a similar color scheme.

• A leaf pattern camouflage design first entered service with the FDNB prior to 2001. The version seen here features black, medium brown, and leaf green shapes on a pale green background.

• Although it may not have remained in service for very long, some Burundian Army personnel wore a variation of the m81 woodland camouflage pattern around 2008. Use of this pattern may actually have been limited to members of the 121st Parachute Regiment and the 2 Armored battalions.

• A blue-dominant variation of the woodland-leaf hybrid camouflage pattern of the Army was adopted by the Burundi Police Nationale and has continued in service right into the present day, even though a pixelated design was also introduced around 2017. As with the previous police camouflage design, only certain personnel appear to receive it, with most conventional police continuing to wear solid-colored uniforms.

• The current pixelated camouflage design of the Burundi Armed Forces incorporates black, brown and foliage green shapes on a khaki background. It first appeared circa 2016.

• Circa 2017, officers of the Police nationale du Burundi appeared in public sporting a pixelated camouflage pattern with a light blue/grey colorway. This design has not fully replaced the previously issued, and darker-colored, blue woodland-leaf hybrid design, but is issued concurrently.