Unity Day (Burundi)

Unity Day is a public holiday in Burundi, and it is observed on February 5 each year. The holiday is a holiday attempting to reconcile the tension between to ethnic groups of the Tutsi and the Hutu.

In 1899, Burundi became part of German East Africa, which marks the start of the European colonial era. During World War I, Belgian forces took control of Burundi in 1916. Belgium renamed the area together with Rwanda as Ruanda-Urundi in 1923.

The Belgians placed the Tutsi in charge of Ruanda-Urundi, and this colonial rule cumulated the tensions between the Tutsi and the Hutu, leading to the Hutus' rebel against the Tutsis. In 1959, Burundi's ruler requested Burundi's independence and the dissolution of the Ruanda-Urundi union.

On July 1, 1962, Burundi and Rwanda were separated from Ruanda-Urundi and both gained independence from Belgium. Several violent clashes occurred between the Hutus and Tutsis. In 1972, the Tutsi-dominated army and government made a mass killing of Hutus who lived in Burundi; and in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, the Hutu-dominated army and government made a mass killing of Tutsis who lived in Rwanda.

The tension between the two ethnic groups still exists, but Unity Day was introduced with the hopes of ending the ethnic conflicts.

The following is the list of Unity Day in Burundi from 2022 to 2026.

Please check more public holidays in Burundi: