“The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CVR) will only find the truth about the crimes committed in Burundi when the population in general and sociopolitical actors in particular agree to offer testimonies, to say what they saw, what they did and what they experienced. This is the major dimension to our mission, “said Pierre Claver Ndayicariye, CVR chairman in a meeting he held on August 30 with the students of Université Polytechnique de Gitega.
Pierre Claver Ndayicariye, chairman of CVR: “If people speak out, they tell the truth and shed light on the dramatic events that occurred”
He added that the therapeutic dimension to heal victims in the transitional justice process is important, explaining tragedies that the country has experienced. “The victims’ families neither mourned nor commemorated the death of their relatives,” he says.
He believes that if the debate held by CVR allows people to express themselves, it is already a chance for the survivors and victims’ families.
For him, the truth must be known and the perpetrators of the crimes must ask for forgiveness.
He hopes that if people speak out, they tell the truth and shed light on the dramatic events that occurred.
“When a country goes through a tragedy, there are deaths and alleged perpetrators. The victims are easily identifiable. The alleged perpetrators must be known. Those who are known must ask for forgiveness, “said Ndayicariye.
The chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission believes, however, that it is not easy to admit the truth. “For instance, when someone killed a hundred people, murdered two hundred families, when he was the mastermind of the political and security strategies that claimed lives of millions of innocent people, he is afraid to tell the truth,” he says.
For him, it is important to know the truth and make reconciliation to protect the present and future generations. He deplores the fact that impunity for the crimes committed is a major challenge to CVR mission accomplishment, arguing that some of the alleged perpetrators of serious crimes committed in Burundi have been protected.
Astrid Jamar, Lecturer and researcher in transitional justice and international aid in the African Great Lakes region says that Burundians should not expect much from CVR results.
“The problem of this commission is related to the Burundian political context through the difficulties that this body has met. If there is no political change, we should not expect much from this commission, “said Jamar. She had attended the fourth conference of the Burundi Research Network.
The mission of CVR is to document the crimes committed in Burundi from 1885 to 2008.
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