Civil war officially ended in Burundi in 2006. For several years thereafter, there have been sporadic fights and attacks, but these, too, have dwindled to almost ‘zero’.

What changes has a blanket of peace brought? This blog concentrates on post-war activities on the north end of Lake Tanganyika through photos – especially areal photos.

The lake is situated within the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the geographic feature known as the East African Rift, and is confined by the mountainous walls of the valley. It is the largest rift lake in Africa and the second largest lake by volume in the world. It is the deepest lake in Africa and holds the greatest volume of fresh water. It extends for 676 km (420 mi) in a general north-south direction and averages 50 km (31 mi) in width. The lake covers 32,900 km2 (12,700 sq mi), with a shoreline of 1,828 km (1,136 mi) and a mean depth of 570 m (1,870 ft) and a maximum depth of 1,470 m (4,820 ft) (in the northern basin) it holds an estimated 18,900 cubic kilometres (4,500 cu mi).[4] It has an average surface temperature of 25 °C and a pH averaging 8.4.

Source: Wikipedia

Note in the above and in several of the following photos, that there are few constructions near the lake. The following photos show how, following peace, that has changed.

In the above photo, houses can be seen built from the road back to the village of Kajaga, which now is becoming an urban suburb of Bujumbura. The only reason homes are not built further down is the existence is a huge wetlands area next to the Rusizi Reserve.

In Kajaga Village, across the way from the Hotel, peace has also brought many changes that have been possible since the introduction of electricity and regularization of water delivery.

Related articles