Journal abstract
The Great Lakes region of Africa is the most conflict-prone region of the world and one current concern is political violence in Burundi. This research investigates whether Burundi is on the precipice of a genocide. Burundi's weak democratic norms, genocidal history, and the impact of contagion and diffusion of violence in the region provide a number of the conditions that could contribute to a genocide. This research investigates the past and present conflict variables of the Great Lakes region with a focus on Burundi and assesses the potential that the ongoing political violence in Burundi will lead to genocide.
When speaking of armed conflict, the Syrian civil war, ongoing strife in Ukraine, the Yemeni civil war, and the continuous Israel–Palestine disputes are the current trending topics. Each of these conflicts have tap roots in history, drawing sustenance from the mulch of past disputes. These are not, however, the only ongoing conflicts, and while no one should underestimate the humanitarian tragedies associated with the aforementioned violence, ignoring other parts of the world compound the threat of future crises. The ongoing conflict in Burundi shares many characteristics of the other, more commonly discussed conflicts. However the world has, by and large, ignored Burundi, setting the stage for a possible repeat of a 1990s-style explosion of violence in the Great Lakes region of Africa.
The Great Lakes region of Africa is the most conflict-prone region of the world (including the Middle East), with millions of conflict deaths, that include a cyclic pattern of genocide in which Burundi plays a prominent role. The ongoing Burundi crisis, framed in the regional and historic context, appears to be on a path toward genocide with the government of Burundi potentially covering up or minimizing the dangers and damage. Burundi's weak democratic norms, genocidal history, ongoing political strife, and the impact of contagion and diffusion of violence in the Great Lakes region, provide a number of the conditions that could contribute to a potential genocide. This research will investigate the past and present conflict variables of the Great Lakes region with a focus on Burundi and evaluate the potential that the ongoing political violence in Burundi will lead to (or is already a form of) genocide.