Communes serve as the second and lowest level of administrative division in Burundi, with 119 communes distributed across the country's 18 provinces. These local government units function as the primary interface between citizens and the state, responsible for delivering essential public services, maintaining civil registries, collecting local taxes, and implementing national policies at the community level. Each commune is headed by an administrator appointed by the central government and typically encompasses several collines (hills), which are informal subdivisions used for local organization. Communes handle matters such as local infrastructure maintenance, basic healthcare facility oversight, primary education coordination, and dispute resolution. This administrative structure reflects Burundi's effort to decentralize governance while maintaining coordination with provincial and national authorities.