Which city became the capital of Burundi in 2019?

Gitega became the political capital of Burundi in 2019.

The change restored Gitega’s historic political role and shifted the seat of government away from Bujumbura, the former capital on Lake Tanganyika. Burundi’s Parliament formally approved the change on 16 January 2019, after President Pierre Nkurunziza announced the plan in December 2018.

Gitega lies near the centre of Burundi on a high plateau, making it more geographically central than Bujumbura. The government’s move was planned to take place gradually, while Bujumbura retained its importance as the country’s largest city, commercial centre and major economic hub.

Gitega was formerly known as Kitega and served as the royal capital of the Kingdom of Burundi until the monarchy was abolished in 1966. A common mix-up is to answer Bujumbura: that city was the political capital for decades and remains Burundi’s economic capital, but Gitega is the country’s political capital.