Consociational Democracy in Burundi as a Response to Ethnic Conflict

Abstract

A ubiquitous issue in our current times, the world has seen a phenomenal increase in ethnic conflict in many parts of the globe. Ethnic conflict is therefore a pertinent issue and one that requires to be understood in depth, perhaps in an attempt to resolve it. Consocialism as prescribed by Arend Lljphart has been advanced as a solution to ethnic conflicts in Africa. One of the countries in which it has been applied is Burundi. Using Burundi as a case study, and drawing on the analysis of different scholars, this article attempts to answer the question of how ethnic conflict can be regulated in Africa, especially looking at how Consocialism as a tool of conflict resolution has navigated the existing socio­ political contexts that are unique to Burundi in addressing ethnic conflict.