Burundi is a small country, no larger than the state of Maryland, with a population numbering just over six million. But the dimensions of its human tragedy are anything but diminutive: a genocide in 1972; repeated episodes of intercommunal violence. Since its independence in 1962, Burundi has witnessed an estimated 300 000 killed, some 800 000 forced to flee the country, over 700 000 more internally displaced.

In November 2003 37 military commanders from the Burundian army and rebel groups took part in a leadership workshop designed to create a newly unified national army. The workshop was one aspect of the Burundi Leadership Training Program, which aims to build capacity by offering training in collaborative decision making for Burundian leaders drawn from all social and institutional sectors.