Today Burundi resembles a torn-apart patchwork of Batutsi
and
Bahutu colonies by being divided territorially into almost isolated
enclaves, ethnically purified to a high degree, and more or less closed
off from their surrounding areas. Most Batutsi believe that they can
only live in security if sheltered by the army in various urban
agglomerations, including the capital, Bujumbura. By way of contrast,
most Bahutu are to be found in the hills of the countryside in an often
entrenched and hidden way, and close to economic self-sufficiency.
Such an unusual situation is undoubtedly a big challenge to the
relations that need to be established between state authorities and
citizens in rural as well as urban areas.