Burundi Franc
The currency used by Burundi as its official currency is the Burundi franc. This is similar to other francs in the sense that it is further divided into 100 centimes, even though centimes have never actually been issued, so in a sense, they are hypothetical!
The currency is identified internationally, by the letters BIF and is issued by the Burundi Central Bank.
The coins issued take the form of the 1, 5, 10 franc coins and notes are issued in denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 and 10,000 notes.
History of the Burundi Franc
The franc was adopted as the official currency of Burundi in 1916, not as may be assumed because the French were in occupation, but because the Belgians had taken over from the Germans. When the area was under
German control, the currency in use had been the German East African rupie. However, at this stage it was called the Belgian Congo franc and this was in use continuously until 1960, when the Rwanda and Burundi franc was then introduced. Burundi then achieved a greater degree of autonomy and as a result, in 1964 she began to issue her own currency, to symbolise her new status.
The future of the Burundi franc may be quite brief, because there are plans to introduce a brand new currency within East Africa, named as the East African shilling and this will be the currency in use by not just Burundi, but also Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.
This new currency will symbolise the loose union of the five east African states in 2010 and the currency will mean that there are less exchange fees payable and that the countries will be able to trade with each other much more easily than when they all had separate currencies.
Getting hold of Burundi Francs
To say that Burundi is a poor country is somewhat playing down the fact that it is one of the poorest countries in the entire world and as a result, its financial mechanisms and infrastructure are not that advanced. There are no ATMs in the country and no way of getting hold of money apart from the national/major banks, situated in Bujumbura or Gitega. So do not think that money will be easy to come by.
In addition to having to go to a bank, you should make sure that you get to a bank early, since many close to the public in the afternoon. So if you miss the morning slot, then you won't be able to get money out until the next day, which can be a major inconvenience, particularly for those who are used to money being accessible 24/7.
Travellers cheques are the preferred option for getting money in Burundi, due to the crime situation (see below) but you should take these in either euros or US dollars. If you take any other currency you may find that banks are reluctant to accept them.
The rates that the banks charge are also really high, so be prepared to shell out just to exchange your own money!
Credit card use is also extremely limited. You may find that your credit card will be accepted in the biggest, international hotels, but even then there is something of a reluctance to accept them.
Burundi does not get many visitors and so it is simply not geared up to accepting credit cards and western financial transactions. Indeed, the country has a long way to go before it could offer travellers these kind of facilities and until it has got its own house in order, this is unlikely to happen.
However, the advent of the new currency in 2009 may do a great deal to ensure that Burundi becomes a stable and more robust country. Only time will tell. Travellers coming to the country after 2009, should check that as to the status of the Burundi franc as opposed to the East African shilling.
Safety Issues
Although a democratically elected President has been in power since 2005, the situation in Burundi is far from stable and as of 2008, the UK Foreign Office were warning that all non essential travel to Burundi should not take place. In other words this is a country that should not be visited for pleasure, you should only visit if and when you absolutely must go there.
Burundi has for many years experienced significant turmoil. There are two major groups in Burundi, the Tutsis and the Hutus. Without delving back too far in history and trying to apportion blame, it is simply fair to say that these groups have never managed to live peacefully together and there have been massacres on a regular basis, with both groups killing and losing people. These massacres were not limited to twenty or thirty people, but were systematic killings, involving thousands of people. For example, in 1972, massacres cost 300,000 people their lives. This was in one year and the bloodletting went on for years and years.
A peace treaty was signed in 2000, but 4 hard core rebel groups refused to abide by it and the violence continued. Eventually the UN sent in peace keeping troops in 2004 and an uneasy peace was established, with democratic elections held in 2005.
However rebels still refused to sign any kind of peace deal and there were splinter groups from the official rebels, that set up on an informal basis, so instead of just dealing with 3 or 4 groups, there was some fragmentation, making negotiations that bit more difficult.
However, work continued to try and force a peace deal through and at the end of May 2008, the last rebel group that had refused to sign, actually agreed to working towards peace.
At first glance this may seem very hopeful and as if travel to Burundi is a possibility. However, this is a fragile peace and one that is not going to happen completely overnight. There have been so many problems in Burundi and there is so much resentment still bubbling beneath the surface, after all this is mass genocide that has happened, that it will be impossible to tell whether the peace will last for at least a few years to come, which means that there will be little chance of the situation changing for some time to come.
However, there may be times when travel to Burundi is simply unavoidable and if you do need to travel there you need to be aware of the risks.
Predominantly, the main risks come from armed rebels, who see foreign nationals as being a relatively easy target and one that will earn them some publicity. They are not even bothered what people do, since they have attacked and killed aid workers, who were actually only in the country to try to help to get Burundi and its people back on their feet.
Indeed at the very end of 2007, a French aid worker was attacked in this way, so despite the fact that democracy had been in place for over two years, the attacks continued.
Travellers to this country are also advised that there is a specific risk in the parts of Burundi that border Congo, namely because armed rebel groups or guerrillas tend to have fights in this area and it is quite easy to get caught up in the crossfire.
The threat of terrorist attacks in Burundi is very low, but this does not minimise the other risks, they are quite high.
Street crime, often violent, is quite common. There have been reports of all kind of car crimes, including car jacking as well as muggings, often at gunpoint and pick-pocketing. Remember that this is one of the poorest countries in the world, so people may well be desperate. They know that any visitor to the country will probably have more money than them and so they feel that they are an ideal target.
There are some precautions that you can take to ensure your safety. These include making sure that if you do have to travel anywhere in the country, you either have an armed guard and or travel in convoy.
You should never drive at night and never go out at night. Often curfews will apply anyway, which could mean that you are simply arrested if you are out at night, but in some ways this could be the least of your problems.
Always ensure that you keep separate copies of all your documentation and try to leave the originals in the safe in your hotel. Also make sure that you keep a separate record of all your travellers cheques so that you can cancel any if necessary and have new ones re-issued.
If you do experience someone holding a gun to you asking for money or your car, then simply give in: it is not worth fighting for something. Remember that many of the people in Burundi have seen or experienced the worst type of genocide imaginable and to some extent, they are coming to terms with it all, but many are emotionally still very numb. So they will not think long and hard about pulling the trigger, they will just pull it!
Make sure if you can that you do not have to travel anywhere outside of Bujumbura (the capital of Burundi). Whilst this is far from being a safe city, it is at least safer than the rest of the country and is assessed as being of a lower risk to travellers.
Overview
The situation in Burundi is one which is very difficult and we can only hope that the situation improves dramatically. It is a beautiful country, with people who have seen and experienced the most horrendous sights and yet they are starting to rebuild and look forward.
Although it may be some time until it becomes a tourist destination again, this time should come around again and it is at heart, a very beautiful country, just one that is far from stable. It simply needs some time to heal itself and improve the country's infrastructure.
Any traveller who intends to visit Burundi, needs to check out the Foreign Office website, prior to travel, just to check out the latest advice. This can be found at http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas/travel-advice-by-country/sub-saharan-africa/burundi/