Pierre Buyoya
President

(pronounced "pee-AIR boo-YOH-yah")

"We have to bring back democracy, but how long it will take, we don't know; it could be 12 months, 18 months or more."

The small, landlocked Republic of Burundi lies in the center of Africa, bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the south and east, and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC—formerly Zaire) to the northwest. Lake Tanganyika forms the southwestern border of the country. Bujumbura is the capital. With a population estimated at 6.2 million living on an area of only 27,830 sq km (10,745 sq mi), Burundi ranks among the most densely populated countries in Africa. The unit of currency is the Burundian franc. Burundi has three ethnic groups: the Hutu (85% of the population), the Tutsi (14%) and the Twa (1%). Burundi is heavily Christianized: 62% of the population belong to the Roman Catholic Church, and 5% are members...