Background

In October 1993 civil war was raging in Burundi between the Tutsis and the Hutus, plunging the country into a serious, violent situation with catastrophic socio-economic consequences.
In the context of the Grands Lacs (Great Lakes) Committee (see page on DR Congo) and by invitation of the wife of the President of Burundi at that time, a delegation from Emmaus, made up of Véronique Gnanih from Benin, Graziano Zoni from Italy and Antoine Sueur from France travelled to the country in 1994, in order to determine which missions could be supported by the movement.
They got in touch with the Kamenge Centre in Bujumbura and its head of staff, Anaclet Katumbulu Kitungano. They organised educational, recreational and cultural activities, including sports, with the objective of reconciling these different components of Burundi society.
Anaclet Katumbulu Kitungano was invited to be an observer at the world assembly of Emmaus International in September 1999 in Orléans, France.
After this meeting he and some friends created the Association to Fight Crime and Poverty (ALDP) in 2002, which became a member of Emmaus International in 2004.