After 15 years of war, tourism (quietly) returns to Burundi

AFTER a long and winding road, international observers are guardedly optimistic about Burundi, a tiny, picturesque, often war-torn country in central Africa's troubled heart.

The United Nations has praised the peace process ahead of this year's presidential election, confidently declaring that it has "entered a new phase," while South African peacekeepers have wrapped up their work, patted themselves on the back and retreated to the vineyards of Stellenbosch.

Former rebel fighters are being reintegrated into civil society, while the most recalcitrant of the rebel groups has finally laid down arms and gone the very Burundian route of joining the government. (The current president, Pierre Nkurunziza, is a former rebel.)

And in a key indicator of the prospects for stability and growth, tourists are on their way. A decade ago, when rebel groups preyed upon the roadsonly the brave or the foolhardy would have made the trip.
Now read Christopher Vourlias's account from Bujumbura.
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