The Republic of Burundi is the 39th African country out of the 54 member states of the African Union with which the Sovereign Order of Malta has established diplomatic relations, marking an important step in the Order’s growing diplomatic presence on the African continent.

Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Burundi and the Sovereign Order of Malta were formally established in 2024 and entered into force in August 2025. The process began with the signing of a Protocol for the establishment of diplomatic relations on 25 October 2024 in Addis Ababa. The Protocol was signed by Ambassador Michael Murphy, Permanent Representative of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the African Union, and Ambassador Willy Nyamitwe, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Burundi to the African Union.

Following the entry into force of diplomatic relations, bilateral dialogue intensified rapidly. On 25 September 2025, during a long and cordial meeting held in New York on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly, the Grand Chancellor of the Order of Malta, Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo, met with Burundi’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Edouard Bizimana. The discussions focused on the newly established diplomatic relations and their future development.

This dialogue continued the following month, when Minister Edouard Bizimana paid a working visit to the Grand Chancellor at the Magistral Villa in Rome. The visit — the first by a high-ranking Burundian authority since the entry into force of bilateral relations — further consolidated diplomatic ties between the two sides.

A key milestone was reached on December 11th, 2025, when Nob. Dr. Angelo Federico Arcelli, the first appointed Ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the Republic of Burundi, presented his Letters of Credence to the President of the Republic of Burundi, Évariste Ndayishimiye. This act formally completed the establishment of full diplomatic representation between the two entities.

Humanitarian action by the Order of Malta in Burundi began well before the establishment of formal diplomatic relations. Since 2018, Malteser International – the worldwide relief agency of the Order of Malta – has been active in the country alongside local partners, working in areas such as mental health care, cholera prevention, child protection and support for the most vulnerable communities.

Its activities range from psychological and psychiatric assistance in regions affected by refugee returns and violence, to cholera prevention programmes along the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, carried out in cooperation with the Burundian Red Cross. Special attention is also given to street children, who receive protection, education and vocational training, as well as to disadvantaged groups, including the Batwa community and Congolese refugees, through access to basic medical care and community-based support.