Burundi Parliament against burial of remains

Parliamentarians consider the measure by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to bury the remains of the victims as premature.

A premature decision. This is the opinion of the representatives of the people on the measure taken by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission-CVR to bury the remains of the victims before the light is shed on the dark past.

Parliamentarians unanimously disapproved of CVR’s measure

For Pascal Nyabenda, Speaker of the National Assembly, this act is hastened. “We cannot talk about the proper burial of the remains while the alleged perpetrators of horrible acts are not yet tried, identified and the victims are not yet known,” said Gélase Ndabirabe, chairman of the standing commission on political, administrative and external relations affairs at the National Assembly.
That commission had been asked to analyze the contents of the “provisional” report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which was presented on Wednesday, October 10, 2018, to both chambers of Parliament.

This measure which was announced last week by the deputy-chairman of this commission was not warmly welcomed. Some people think that it’s like putting the cart before the horse. With that, parliamentarians ask that the commission goes back on this measure.
Clotilde Niragira, Secretary General of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, goes back over the reasons for the “contested” measure. According to her, the commission wanted to bury the remains of victims already dug up during the development work in some parts of the country. “We thought that these remains should not remain uncovered without being buried. They deserve a decent burial.

“Keep the remains for a memorial”

Despite her attempts to explain, Mrs. Niragira ended up agreeing with the majority: “We take note of your request that we should go back on this measure.” The president of the National Assembly went so far as to say that burying the remains is equivalent to covering up the evidence of the massacres that occurred in Burundi.

“We can keep them in a memorial so that the future generations know that there have been massacres in such a place and be aware that they must avoid this.”

As the mandate of the commission draws to a close, parliamentarians note that it is still in the preparatory phase in accomplishing its missions. Gélase Ndabirabe recommends the amendment of the law stipulating that the mandate of CVR is renewable for one year.

Most of the elected members pleaded for a renewal of the mandate for four years. “The most important thing is not that it ends quickly, but rather that it ends well,” said MP Pierre Célestin Ndikumana.

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AMPCI-Girubuntu: “In principle, the truth must be found out first”

For Aloys Batungwanayo, president of this association, the first condition is to know the truth. He believes that the burial of remains goes hand in hand with the erection of a monument. He wonders what would become of the remains still buried under the ground. As for the identification of the remains, Mr. Batungwanayo seems skeptical. “It is a long process. Even impossible because sometimes families have been decimated or massacred in places they are not from.”

He advises the commission to conduct an awareness campaign throughout the country to help people understand the complexity around the identification of the bodies.

AC-Genocide: “CVR has been off target”

Térence Mushano, vice-president of th

e organization, does not mince his words: “This decision is against the expectations of the population.”For him, CVR must first finish these investigations and establish responsibilities. With the measure, he says, the commission went off target. He regrets that the international community seems not to be cooperating with it. Mr Mushano questions the qualification of crimes falling under international law such as genocide and other crimes against humanity without international support.

ACOPA: “CVR should not hurry”

Isaac Bakanibona, legal representative of this association, says there is no truth without proof. For him, the remains of the bodies of the victims should take precedence over anything. “The commission should not rush into burying the found bones. Its priority is to conduct investigations to find out other mass graves scattered in other parts of the country. He hopes that the burial of the remains will be done after the establishment of the perperator’s responsibilities. This event would be done the same day throughout the country when the right time comes, he concludes.

Written by Arnaud Igor Giriteka & Translated by

Pierre Emmanuel Ngendakumana