Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$39 million (FY97)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.1% (FY97)
Transnational Issues Burma
Disputes - international:
despite continuing border committee talks, significant differences
remain with Thailand over boundary alignment and the handling of
ethnic rebels, refugees, and illegal cross-border activities
Illicit drugs:
world's second largest producer of illicit opium (potential
production in 2002 - 630 metric tons, down 27% due to drought and,
to a lesser extent, eradication; cultivation in 2002 - 77,000
hectares, a 27% decline from 2001); surrender of drug warlord KHUN
SA's Mong Tai Army in January 1996 was hailed by Rangoon as a major
counternarcotics success, but lack of government will and ability to
take on major narcotrafficking groups and lack of serious commitment
against money laundering continues to hinder the overall antidrug
effort; major source of methamphetamine and heroin for regional
consumption
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
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@Burundi
Introduction Burundi
Background:
Burundi's first democratically elected president was assassinated
in October 1993 after only four months in office. Since then, some
200,000 Burundians have perished in widespread, often intense ethnic
violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions. Hundreds of thousands have
been internally displaced or have become refugees in neighboring
countries. Burundi troops, seeking to secure their borders,
intervened in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
in 1998. More recently, many of these troops have been redeployed
back to Burundi to deal with periodic upsurges in rebel activity. A
new transitional government, inaugurated on 1 November 2001, was to
be the first step toward holding national elections in three years.
While the Government of Burundi signed a cease-fire agreement in
December 2002 with three of Burundi's four Hutu rebel groups,
implementation of the agreement has been problematic and one rebel
group refuses to sign on, clouding prospects for a sustainable peace.