Defenders of victims of crimes in Burundi disagree on CVR’s new coverage period

The National Assembly adopted on October 25 a bill amending the law on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The bill extends the mission of CVR over the period from Germany colonization in February 1885 to 4 December 2008. CVR mission was initially set between 1961 and 2008.

Aloys Batungwanayo, legal representative of AMEPCI-Girubuntu:“The problem is to be able to find human resources with required qualifications to search for the archives wherever they are”

Aloys Batungwanayo, legal representative of the coalition of victims’ associations -AMEPCI-Girubuntu says he is satisfied with the extension of the period to be covered by CVR. He admits, however, that there are no more living witnesses to tell what happened during the German colonial period. He believes that the commission will use archives to conduct its investigations.
“Obviously, there are no longer living witnesses. The problem is to be able to find human resources with required qualifications to look for the archives wherever they are,” says Batungwanayo.

As for some MPs who asked for the extension of the mandate of CVR after 2008, Mr Batungwanayo finds that it would reduce national and international jurisdictions that are now charged with addressing crimes committed after 2008.

Térence Mushano, secretary of AC Genocide Cirimoso association, contends that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission also covers the post-2008 period. “If we extend the mandate of CVR from the German colonization period until 2008, it is a headlong rush. This shows that the government does not want the truth to be known about the crimes committed after 2008, “says Mushano.
For him, the government should cooperate with the United Nations to have documents about crimes committed in Burundi kept in Germany, Belgium or at the UN headquarters.

CVR was set up by the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement signed in 2000 to put an end to the civil war which erupted in 1993 after the assassination of the first democratically elected Burundian president, Melchior Ndadaye. CVR had the mission to investigate cases of injustice committed since the independence of Burundi.