Local Peace Committees and Election Violence in Burundi, 2015

Abstract

Burundi has long experienced violence before, during and after elections, much of which is ethnically based. The 2015 elections, however, had low levels of violence and seems to have been driven largely by factors other than ethnicity. Factors which may explain this difference include a shift towards violence based on perceived political allegiance, non-collaboration by communities with political leaders, the successful reintegration of ex-combatants and the role of community peace committees. In this chapter, particular attention is paid to the last of these factors.