Burundi National Defence Force

The Burundi National Defence Force (Template:Langx; FDNB) is the military of Burundi. A general staff commands the armed forces, consisting of a joint staff; a training staff, and a logistics staff. Naval and aviation commands exist, as well as specialised units.<ref name="loi1019">Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Independence and early history (1962–1993)

Under Belgian colonial rule, the mandatory status of Ruanda-Urundi established limits on the recruitment of Barundi for military service. Instead, Ruanda-Urundi was garrisoned by a small unit of the Force Publique recruited in the Belgian Congo which combined its military role with the role of gendarmerie. Its members were popularly known as Bamina in Burundi, after the large military base at Kamina in the Congo.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Amid the Congo's independence, the Belgian colonial administration formed the Burundian National Guard (Garde Nationale Burundaise) in 1960. It consisted of 650 men, recruited equally from the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups (though the Tutsi mostly consisted of those from the Hima subgroup). When Burundi became independent in 1962 the force was renamed the Burundian National Army (Armée Nationale Burundaise) and assumed a purely military function.Template:Sfn The gendarmarie function was allocated to a civilian authority called the National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie nationale) after independence in 1962,Template:Citation needed though this became part of the army on 7 March 1967.Template:Sfn

File:Burundian soldiers 1966.png

Burundian soldiers (wearing M1 helmets) at the coronation ceremony of King Ntare V, 1 September 1966

Burundi became independent on 1 July 1962 with the army organised into eight platoons.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A coup attempt in October 1965 led by the Hutu-dominated police was carried out but failed. The Tutsi dominated army, then led by Tutsi officer Captain Michel Micombero<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk">Template:Cite news</ref> purged Hutu from their ranks and carried out reprisal attacks which ultimately claimed the lives of up to 5,000 people in a predecessor to Burundian genocides.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Micombero then became prime minister.

King Mwambutsa IV, who had fled the country during the October 1965 coup attempt, was deposed by a coup in July 1966 and his teenage son, Crown Prince Charles Ndizeye, claimed the throne as King Ntare V. Later that same year, Prime Minister, then-Colonel, Michel Micombero, carried out another coup in November 1966, this time deposing Ntare, abolishing the monarchy and declaring the nation a republic. His one-party government was effectively a military dictatorship.<ref name="state">Background Note: Burundi. United States Department of State. February 2008. Retrieved on 28 June 2008.</ref> As president, Micombero became an advocate of African socialism and received support from China. He imposed a staunch regime of law and order and sharply repressed Hutu militarism. After Micombero's coup d’etat which deposed the monarchy, he became the first general in Burundian history. He was also commissioned by the National Council of the Revolution (French: Conseil National de la Révolution (CNR)), and made a Lieutenant Général. In his turn, Micombero raised Thomas Ndabemeye to the grade of Major General. They were the sole generals of the First Republic.

In 1972 the Tutsi-dominated Burundi Army and government carried out a series of mass killings, the Ikiza, often characterised as a genocide, primarily against educated and elite Hutus who lived in the country. Conservative estimates place the death toll of the event between 100,000 and 150,000 killed, while some estimates of the death toll go as high as 300,000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This included a purge of all Hutus and some politically unfavorable Tutsis from the military, shrinking it to about 2,300 members.Template:Sfn On 30 December 1974 a naval division was created.Template:Sfn

In 1981–82 the IISS estimated that the Burundian armed forces were 6,000 strong, with 2 infantry battalions, 1 airborne battalion, 1 commando battalion, and an armoured car company.<ref>IISS Military Balance 1988-89</ref> The same estimate was repeated in the 1988–89 edition except that the strength figure had been dropped to 5,500.

The Civil War and aftermath

In 1993, Hutu President Melchior Ndadaye was elected in the 1 June presidential election and was sworn in on 10 July.

On 21 October, a coup was attempted by a Tutsi–dominated National Defence Force faction, led by Chief of Staff Lt. Col. Jean Bikomagu, ex-President Jean-Baptiste Bagaza, and former interior minister François Ngeze.Template:Sfn<ref name="nyt">Template:Cite news</ref> The coup attempt resulted in the assassination of Ndadaye and numerous other casualties.<ref name="nyt"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Following the coup, the Committee of Public Salvation (CSP) was created as the ruling junta, and François Ngeze (a prominent Hutu member of UPRONA) was installed as the new president. Ngeze himself comdemned the assassination of Ndadaye.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Faced with widespread condemnation, the Army leaders urged civilian politicians to resume control. Consequently, Prime Minister Sylvie Kinigi (who took refuge in the French embassy with other senior government figures) was installed as Acting President on 27 October.

The 1996 UN inquiry names three units - para 122-3 indicates that at the time of the October coup, the 2e Commando were the presidential guard and the 1er Parachutiste and 11e Blinde were the units involved in the coup. (Para 115 notes that some officers of the 2e Commando were previously involved in an attempted coup in July, before Ndadaye was sworn in, but presumably by October the unit was thought to be loyal). In addition, U.S. Ambassador Bob Krueger mentions members of the 1st Parachute Battalion being active during the coup in his book.<ref>From Bloodshed to Hope in Burundi: Our Embassy Years During Genocide (pp 7, 20).</ref>

The coup attempted sparked the Burundian Civil War, which lasted from 1993 to 2005, killing an estimated 300,000 people. The Arusha Accords<ref>Institute for Security Studies, Template:Cite web (Protocol II, Chapter 1.)</ref> ended 12 years of war and stopped decades of ethnic killings. The 2005 constitution provided guaranteed representation for both Hutu and Tutsi, and 2005 parliamentary elections that led to Pierre Nkurunziza, from the Hutu FDD, becoming president.

According to a 2004 report by Child Soldiers International, Burundi's military used conscripted child soldiers. Children in military service were subject to military courts which fell short of international law standards.<ref>Child Soldiers International, Template:Usurped</ref>

The armed forces have deployed significant numbers of troops to the African Union Mission in Somalia since c. 2007. On February 1, 2007 Burundi committed to the mission, pledging up to 1,000 troops.<ref name=BURUNDI-JOINS-SOMALI-PEACE-FORCE>Template:Cite news</ref> By March 27, it was confirmed that 1700 Burundian troops would be sent to Somalia.<ref name="Burundi1700">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2011 the IISS estimated that three Burundian battalions were deployed there.

The army's forces in 2011 included, according to IISS estimates, 2 light armoured battalions (squadrons), seven infantry battalions and independent companies; and artillery, engineer, and air defence battalions (SA-7 'Grail' man-portable SAMs and 14.5mm, 23mm and 37mm guns were reported). Separately reported were the 22nd commando battalion (Gitega) and 124th commando battalion (Bujumbura). Despite the elapse of another six years, the 2017 listing from the Military Balance was essentially unchanged except for an increase in size to some 30,000 and the addition of ten reserve infantry battalions.

In the wake of the Burundian unrest, personnel faced a choice between supporting President Pierre Nkurunziza, with whom some fought when he was a military commander, or opposing him. Interviewed by Reuters on May 14, 2015, an Africa analyst at Verisk Maplecroft said a coup then reported in progress by Major General Godefroid Niyombare, former director of the intelligence service, "starkly highlight[ed] Nkurunziza’s lack of unified support among his military chiefs." "Even if Niyombare’s attempt fails, Nkurunziza’s political credibility may be damaged irreparably."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The 121e Régiment de Parachutistes were mentioned in French news articles as one of the units that supported the attempted coup in 2015.<ref> https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20150925-burundi-delocalisation-demantelement-camp-militaire-crise-nkurunziza Template:Webarchive</ref>

In the aftermath of the coup and the later disputed election, armed forces chief of staff Major General Prime Niyongabo survived an assassination attempt on September 11, 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2015/16, Laurent Touchard wrote that the BNDF included ten two-battalion infantry brigades. (Touchard 2016)

Structure

File:Burundi troops CAR.jpg

Burundi troops of the Central African Multinational Force in the Central African Republic.

In 2011 the IISS estimated that three Burundian battalions were deployed in Somalia. The army's forces in 2011 included, according to IISS estimates, 2 light armoured battalions (squadrons), seven infantry battalions and independent companies; and artillery, engineer, and air defence battalions (SA-7 'Grail' man-portable SAMs and 14.5mm, 23mm and 37mm guns were reported).<ref>IISS Military Balance 2011, 413, 414.</ref>

Separately reported were the 22nd commando battalion (Gitega) and 124th commando battalion (Bujumbura).

Despite the elapse of another six years, the 2017 listing from the Military Balance was essentially unchanged except for an increase in size to some 30,000 and the addition of ten reserve infantry battalions.<ref>IISS Military Balance 2017, p.500.</ref>

As of 2024 the Burundian ground forces consist of two armored battalions, seven infantry battalions, one artillery battalion, one air defense battalion, and one engineer battalion. The navy included several patrol boats.Template:Sfn

Equipment

Small arms

Name	Image	Caliber	Type	Origin	Notes
Machine guns and assault rifles
DShK<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	File:12,7-мм станковый пулемёт ДШК образца 1938 года.jpg	12.7×108mm	Heavy machine gun	Template:Flag	In service
RPK<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	File:7.62mm light machine gun RPK.png	7.62×39mm	Squad automatic weapon	Template:Flag	In service
PKM<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	File:PKM DD-ST-85-01257 (1).jpg	7.62×54mm	General Purpose Machine Gun	Template:Flag	In service
AK-47<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	File:AK-47 type II noBG.png	7.62×39mm	Assault rifle	Template:Flag	In service
PM md. 63<ref name="Jane1"/>	File:PMmd.1963.jpg	7.62×39mm	Assault rifle	Template:Flag	Standard rifle
Vektor R4<ref>US Marines return from building capacity with the Burundi National Defense Force Defense Visual Information Distribution Service</ref>	File:Vektor LM5 Feb 2008.jpg	5.56x45mm	Assault rifle	Template:Flag	In service

Anti-tank weapons

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Caliber	Notes
RPG-7<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	File:Rpg-7.jpg	Rocket-propelled grenade	Template:Flag	40mm	In service
M20 Super bazooka<ref name="IISS_2012_425">IISS (2012), p. 425.</ref>	File:M20-bazooka-batey-haosef-1.jpg	Rocket-propelled grenade	Template:Flag	60mm	In service
RL-83 Blindicide<ref name="IISS_2012_425">IISS (2012), p. 425.</ref>	File:Blindicide RL-83 noBG.png	Anti-tank rocket launcher	Template:Flag	83mm	In service
Type 52<ref name="gander2002">Template:Cite book</ref>	File:M20fort nelson.jpg	Recoilless rifle	Template:Flag Template:Flag	75mm	In service
MILAN<ref name="IISS_2012_425">IISS (2012), p. 425.</ref>	File:Tag der Bundeswehr Jagel 2019 HJL 13 noBG.png	Anti-tank missile	Template:Flag Template:Flag	103mm (MILAN 1); 115mm (other variants)	In service

Scout cars

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Notes
BRDM-2	File:BRDM-2 (1964) owned by James Stewart pic7.JPG	Amphibious armored scout car	Template:Flag	30<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	In service

Armored personnel carriers

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Notes
BTR-40	File:BTR-40.jpg	Armored personnel carrier	Template:Flag	29<ref name=IISS>Template:Cite book</ref>	In service
BTR-80	File:13April-Rehersal-Alabino-52.jpg	Armored personnel carrier	Template:Flag	10<ref name=IISS>Template:Cite book</ref>	In service
Walid	File:Savoy Hotel attack. III.jpg	Armored personnel carrier	Template:Flag	6<ref name=IISS>Template:Cite book</ref>	In service
WZ-551	File:Sri Lanka Military 0233.jpg	Armored personnel carrier	Template:Flag	15<ref name=IISS>Template:Cite book</ref>	In service
Panhard M3	File:PanhardM3.png	Armored personnel carrier	Template:Flag	9<ref name=IISS>Template:Cite book</ref>	In service

Reconnaissance

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Notes
Panhard AML	File:AML-90 DM-SC-91-12078.JPEG	Armored car	Template:Flag	18<ref name=IISS>Template:Cite book</ref>	In service 12 AML-90 06 AML-60
Shorland S52	File:Shorland armoured car mk1.jpg	Armored car	Template:Flag	7<ref name=IISS>Template:Cite book</ref>	In service

Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Notes
RG-31 Nyala	File:RG-31.JPG	MRAP	Template:Flag / Template:UK Template:USA	12<ref name=IISS>Template:Cite book</ref>	In service
RG-33L	File:RG-33 HV.jpg	MRAP	Template:Flag	10<ref name=IISS>Template:Cite book</ref>	In service
Casspir	File:Mechem Casspir Mk II (9686200019).jpg	MRAP	Template:Flag /Template:FRG	27<ref name=IISS>Template:Cite book</ref>	In service
Cougar	File:U.S.Marine Cougar H EOD.jpg	MRAP	Template:Flag	16<ref name=IISS>Template:Cite book</ref>	In service

Artillery

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Status
Mortars
BM-37	File:Zagan 82 mm moździerz wz 37.jpg	Mortar	Template:Flag	15<ref name=IISS>Template:Cite book</ref>	In service
MO-120-RT61	File:Mortier 120mm fh000021.jpg	Mortar	Template:Flag	75<ref name=IISS>Template:Cite book</ref>	In service
Rocket artillery
BM-21 Grad	File:BM-21 Grad Armed Forces of Ukraine.jpg	Multiple rocket launcher	Template:Flag	12<ref name=IISS>Template:Cite book</ref>	In service
Field artillery
D-30	File:Д-30А с учебного полигона Алматинского Института Сухопутных Войск.JPG	Howitzer	Template:Flag	18<ref name=IISS>Template:Cite book</ref>	In service

Air defence systems

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Status
Type 55	File:Twin-37-mm-M1939-hatzerim-1.jpg	Anti-aircraft gun	Template:Flag Template:Flag	135+<ref name=IISS>Template:Cite book</ref>	In service
ZU-23-2	File:MsSVU39.jpg	Autocannon	Template:Flag		In service
ZPU-4	File:ZPU-4 DM-SC-91-12077.JPEG	SPAAG	Template:Flag	15<ref name=IISS>Template:Cite book</ref>	In service
9K32 Strela-2	File:SA-7.jpg	MANPADS	Template:Flag	Unknown<ref name=IISS>Template:Cite book</ref>	In service

Aircraft inventory

The Burundi Army's air unit operates 12 helicopters.

Image	Aircraft	Type	Versions	In service	Notes
File:Aérospatiale Alouette III (29444987028).jpg	Aérospatiale Alouette III	Utility helicopter	SA 316	3<ref name="World Air Forces 2025">Template:Cite web</ref>
File:Aerospatiale SA-342L1 Gazelle..jpg	Aérospatiale SA 342 Gazelle	Utility helicopter	SA 342L	6<ref name="World Air Forces 2025"/>
File:Mil Mi-24D (centered).jpg	Mil Mi-24 Hind	Attack helicopter	Mi-35	3<ref name="World Air Forces 2025"/>

Sources

• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite journal
• Template:Cite book
• Burundi Defence Review Lessons Learned Template:Webarchive
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book