Refugee farmers setting down roots in Linn County

Siriro Hakizimana fled his home country of Burundi as a young man for Tanzania — like many Burundians who sought refuge in neighboring countries — to avoid a groundswell of ethnic tension threatening the average person’s way of life.

Burundi is an east-central African country having gained independence from Belgium in 1962. Bordering Rwanda, the region historically has been embroiled in deep-seated mistrust and deadly conflicts…