President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has sent a Congratulatory Message to her colleague, the President of the Republic of Burundi, His Excellency Mr. Pierre Nkurunziza, on that country’s 55^th Independence Anniversary.

July 1 is celebrated annually as Burundi’s Independence Day. On this day, Belgian colony Ruanda-Urundi split to form Rwanda and present-day Burundi. Belgium administered both countries as one colonial empire, known as Ruanda-Urundi.

Tensions between the Hutu and the Tutsi pygmy people in Rwanda made the latter flee to Burundi and find freedom from persecution. Both countries were involved into a civil war. The ruler of Burundi, Mwami Mwambutsa IV, requested separation of Burundi from Rwanda in 1959. In the same year, political parties were formed, that brought the attention of Europe to the situation in Ruanda-Urundi. Belgium granted Burundi independence on July 1, 1962.

According to a Foreign Ministry release, in her message to His Excellency Mr. Nkurunziza, President Sirleaf extended heartfelt congratulations to the Government and people of Burundi as they observe this joyous occasion, on behalf of the Government and people of Liberia, and in her own name.

“As the people of the Republic of Burundi commemorate this occasion, I look forward to further strengthen the cordial bilateral ties subsisting between our two countries, for the mutual benefit of our two peoples,” the Liberian leader emphasized.

She prayed that the Almighty God will endow H.E. Mr. Nkurunziza with abundant wisdom and strength as he leads his compatriots to greater prosperity.