Bujumbura, Burundi

Bujumbura, Burundi

Bujumbura is the largest city and main port of Burundi. It is on the north-eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, the second deepest lake in the world after Lake Baikal. The city is governed by a community council and community administrator, and is further divided into 3 communes, or neighborhoods, each with its own council and council leader.

About Bujumbura, Burundi in brief

Summary Bujumbura, BurundiBujumbura is the largest city and main port of Burundi. It is on the north-eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, the second deepest lake in the world after Lake Baikal. Bujumbura has been the scene of frequent fighting between the country’s two main ethnic groups. In late December 2018, Burundian president Pierre Nkurunziza announced that he would follow through on a 2007 promise to return Gitega its former political capital status. The name of the city was changed from Usumbura to BuJumbura when Burundo became independent in 1962.

The city is governed by a community council and community administrator, and is further divided into 3 communes, or neighborhoods, each with its own council and council leader. The central market houses the largest variety of merchandise in the city, with stores that sell a wide range of goods. At dawn of 27 January 2013 a serious fire ravaged the central market. The fire lasted for hours, resulting in a serious blow to local exchanges. Hundreds of vendors, local and foreign, lost their goods to the fire.