In 1962, the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
established diplomatic relations with
Burundi when it gained its independence from Belgium. Following independence, the country experienced political assassinations, ethnic violence, and cyclical periods of armed conflict; several governments were installed through coups. The 2000 Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement provided a negotiated settlement framework that, along with later ceasefire agreements, led to the end of the 1993-2006 civil war. President
Pierre Nkurunziza
Pierre Nkurunziza (18 December 19648 June 2020) was a Burundian politician who served as the ninth president of Burundi for almost 15 years from August 2005 until his death in June 2020.
A member of the Hutu ethnic group, Nkurunziza taught ph ...
's decision to seek a third presidential term in 2015 sparked protests in the capital and was followed by a failed coup d’état. The resultant violence and political and economic crises resulted in massive refugee flows to neighboring countries.
The United States Embassy in Burundi's policy states: "The United States supports the achievement of long-term stability and prosperity in Burundi through broad, inclusive reconciliation; humanitarian assistance; economic growth; and the promotion of political openness and expansion of democratic freedoms. The United States supports the East African Community (EAC)-facilitated Burundian dialogue and other conflict resolution efforts within Burundi. The United States seeks to facilitate Burundi's deeper integration into regional and international markets, as a means to promote sustainable economic development."
In 2011, the US sent a military aid package worth $45 million to Burundi and Uganda, which included four drone aircraft.
Relations severely deteriorated in 2015 when Nkurunziza ran and won for a third term and Burundi faced sanctions by
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
and under the
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
administration, threatens to close its embassy in Bujumbura.
Principal U.S. officials
* Ambassador –
Anne S. Casper, August 2016 – May 2019 (currently vacant)
Diplomatic missions
The U.S. Embassy is located in
Bujumbura. The Embassy of the Republic of Burundi to the United States is in
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, which Donald Trump threatened to close if Nkurunziza supported Russia while he was president.
See also
*
Foreign relations of Burundi
*
Foreign relations of the United States
The United States has formal diplomatic relations with most nations. This includes all UN member and observer states other than Bhutan, Iran, North Korea and Syria, and the UN observer State of Palestine, the last of which the U.S. does not rec ...
*
U.S. Ambassador to Burundi
References
https://bi.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/policy-history/
External links
History of Burundi - U.S. relations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burundi-United States relations
Bilateral relations of the United States
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...