After the Truth and Reconciliation Commission –CVR announced that it will soon proceed with a decent burial of human remains dug up from mass graves; associations engaged in fighting crimes against humanities call on CVR to identify all mass graves throughout the country.
Aloys Batungwanayo: “No further investigations were conducted to see if there are other human remains”.
Aloys Batungwanayo, Chairman of the Association for the Memory and Protection of Humanity against International Crimes (Amepci Gira Ubuntu), says the idea to proceed with a decent burial is a good initiative but calls on CVR to pay much attention so that it won’t make victims suffer twice. “The human remains that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is going to bury were randomly discovered. In the area where they were discovered, no further investigations have been conducted to see if there are other remains,” he says adding that this may affect people who lost their relatives.
Mr.Batungwanayo also wonders if the victims of the crimes have been associated in the work. “The question is to know whether victims have been associated. Has CVR listened to the victims’ complaints and taken into considerations their suggestions? If not, this is a big mistake,” he says.
As to the question of identification of mass graves which has been a major concern for people, Batungwanayo says Burundi is unable to identify them. He calls on the commission to sensitize the population. “CVR should begin a sensitization campaign, calling the population to come together and proceed with a proper burial of all the human remains. Everyone deserves a decent burial regardless of their background”.
Térence Mushano, chairman of AC Génocide-Cirimoso, says there should be an inventory of all the mass graves throughout the country before proceeding with a decent burial. “Some of the victims may not have this privilege to get their relatives buried in mass graves exhumed for a proper funeral. CVR should have started with the identification of all mass graves throughout the country”.
Mr. Mushano says CVR is being influenced by politicians and calls on its members to take their responsibilities. “It seems like their work is being influenced by politicians. There should be more order and reorganization of their work to satisfy all the victims”.
Mushano says he is worried that there will be no truth because some victims are being neglected.
In a press conference held on Thursday 4 October, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission announced that it will begin with the burial of human remains discovered in five provinces the same month.
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