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Kibimba, Burundi
MCC-supported livestock project helps build trust among Burundi


The town of Kibimba in central Burundi has been a flashpoint for the country’s ethnic tensions. In 1993, Tutsi schoolchildren were herded into a Kibimba gas station and burned alive. In 1996, 71 Hutus died in a massacre witnessed by Mennonite Central Committee workers living in the town.

But today, less than a kilometre from the site of the 1993 killings, Burundians of different ethnic backgrounds are working together to raise goats and cows. The MCC-supported project provides food as well as a focal point for group efforts. It is one of several initiatives organized by a local peace committee that is helping to build trust between the various ethnic groups.

Formed in the mid-1990s, at the height of tensions between the Tutsi-dominated military and the majority Hutu population, the peace committee brought together displaced Tutsis living in a Kibimba school and local residents, most of whom are Hutu. Susan Seitz, then an MCC worker at the Kibimba hospital, helped formed the peace committee. Since then, it has grown from 10 to 80 members.

The livestock project began in October 1999 as Kibimba residents sought a way to protect their animals from being taken by rebel soldiers. Government soldiers accused villagers of cooperating with the rebels and burned their homes in punishment. At the request of the community, the peace committee provided a shelter for the animals at a central location. With additional funding from MCC, the peace committee bought a few cows, a bull and a small herd of goats with the goal of giving at least one female goat to each committee member. Members signed agreements to pass on the first and third kids to other members of their communities.

The project was successful initially but encountered hard times last year when drought and disease killed many animals. MCC is supporting the project by providing antibiotics and fodder.

In another initiative, the peace committee arranges soccer matches that build camaraderie between previously hostile groups, such as the Tutsi government soldiers and the local Hutu men. The games have created a place for discussion. Peace committee director Matthias Ndimurwanko speaks to those gathered, urging them to take care of their neighbours, build right relationships with one another and work together to rebuild their communities.

 – adapted from an MCC release

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Last modified June 14, 2002.

© 2002 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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