General information
First Active Year: 1990
Current Name: Frolina
Current Name full English: National Liberation Front
Current Name full native language: Front pour la libération nationale
Original Name: Frolina
Original Name full English: National Liberation Front
Original Name full native language: Front pour la libération nationale
Actor Chronology
This section contains information about (if applicable) group splinters, name changes, and alliances according to the UCDP definitions of these concepts.
Broke Away from Actor: Palipehutu (Parti pour la libération du peuple Hutu)
On: 1989-01-01
Conflict issues
Government of Burundi - Frolina
Conflict Goal Issues: The Frolina (Front pour la libération nationale) was a Burundian armed splinter group that broke away from Palipehutu in 1990 and declared war on the Burundian regime. Similar to Palipehutu, Frolina did not officially adhere to any specific religion but was characterized by its ethnic supremacist Hutu Power ideology. Following the group's emergence in 1990, Frolina raised several conflict goal issues primarily concerning democratic change, the ousting of the incumbent Tutsi regime, and the forming of proportional bureaucratic and political system representative of the Hutu majority population. In 1992, the group's leader Karumba requested the support of the Tanzanian government to oust the incumbent regime. Subsequently, in September of 1995, the group expressed the forming of democratic institutions as their primary goal and stated that the movement was forced to take up arms because of the lack of other paths to pursue this goal. The first conflict goal issues reflect the overall focus of the group's concerns with the ousting of the incumbent regime and the introduction of a democratic and bureaucratic representative system. For instance, in 1998, Frolina proposed a seven-point peace package emphasizing free political participation, fair elections, and ethnically representative and proportional distribution of opportunities and political power. Furthermore, Frolina also raised the need to reform and strengthen the judiciary to address the grievances produced during the civil war. The ousting of the incumbent regime and the installment of democratic and representative institutions were the most frequently and highly emphasized issues located by the project. For instance, a statement from Karumba in September of 1995 reads, "Our purpose was to reinforce democratic change in Burundi, but when we realised the regime was not going to change we formed an army to carry out attacks."
Conflict Dynamics Issues: The project has managed to locate one theme of conflict dynamics issues: demands and requests concerning foreign involvement in the civil war. In 1998 Frolina stated that they were willing to have a ceasefire with the caveat that external actors must guarantee the group's security for it to work. A statement by Frolina's secretary-general Zirariye Sosthenes reads, "Yes we can accept a ceasefire, but who will control the army?...To have a ceasefire we have to have a committee or an international peace-keeping force to monitor it". Furthermore, the group also opposed the end of sanctions targeting the regime. Thus, given the statements that the project has located, the request and demands of the group regarding various forms of foreign involvement and external support can be considered Frolina's primary issues.
Conflict Resolution Issues: The project has located several conflict resolution issues raised by the Frolina in 1998 that can be categorized into two main themes. First, Frolina proposed the formation of a truth and reconciliation commission and for general amnesties. The group's leader Korumba stated that such initiatives were the only way Burundi could mitigate inter-group grievances and end the war. Second, Frolina called for negotiations and presented a seven-point peace package indicating the movement's preferred structure of the peace process. The Package raised free political participation, free choice of leaders, fair elections, respect for minorities, and equitable distribution of opportunities and power. Thus, based on the statements located by the project, reconciliation through truth commission and general amnesties, and the structure of the negotiations and peace process seems to be the Frolina's primary conflict resolution issues.
Type of conflict issues: Conflict Goal Issues: Bureaucratic setup, Civil rights, CPS: Democracy, Cultural rights, Executive power-sharing, Hold elections, Oust full executive, Oust head of the executive, Reform judicial system, Restructure military forces
Conflict Dynamics Issues: IFI: International monitoring, IFI: Sanctions
Conflict Resolution Issues: Amnesties, Call for truth and reconciliation processes, Structure of negotiations
Annual information
This section contains annual information systematically collected by the UCDP.
1997
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Burundi - Frolina
Group Archive
This section contains annual information no longer systematically collected by the UCDP.
1997 Group Archive
Government of Burundi - Frolina
Comment on Name: Front pour la libération nationale: National Liberation Front
Comment on Active: The FROLINA was founded in the late 1980s by the former teacher and parliamentarian Joseph Karumba, who lived in exile in Tanzania. Karumba was also a PALIPEHUTU executive, and the FROLINA was formed as Karumba decided to split from the mother group.
Troop Size: Missing
