Abstract:
Questions have abounded as to what Burundi’s motives and interests have been in
sending troops and spearheading the intervention in the eastern DRC. With reference
to the case of Burundi’s intervention within the framework of the East African
Community’s (EAC) response to the growing conflict in the eastern DRC, this article
considered a broad range of what Burundi’s motives and interests might be. This
included security and stability, both nationally and regionally, regional political dynamics
and the position of Burundi within this, and trade and business opportunities.
However, this article argues although all of these have explanatory power, some of
the complexity and nuance of the intervention is missed if we do not place it within the
context of Pan-Africanist considerations, including that of African integration, African
self-reliance and agency, and African ownership of and control over its own resources.
