BUJUMBURA, March 10th (ABP) – The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CVR) organized, on Friday, March 7, 2025, in Bujumbura, a conference-debate with the authorities representing the various institutions of the country, with a view to discussing the conditions of the reconciliation process in Burundi.
In his speech, the chairperson of the CVR, Pierre Claver Ndayicariye, indicated that the conditions of the reconciliation process are, among others, the recognition of the truth, the remorse of the perpetrators, sincere forgiveness, community healing of trauma and reparation. In the search for this truth, the actors are generally consulted to confirm or deny the accusations made against them, he added.
He mentioned that forgiveness contains in itself a community aspect because the seeker or the giver of forgiveness must consult their family, even their entire biological, moral and social community to bless them.
On the crises of the past, 1965, 1969, 1972-1973, Sylvestre Ntibantunganya said that reconciliation has always been the best and the solution reserved for conflict management. Thus, transitional justice is the best to reassure the victims mistreated in the genocide of these past years.
In his presentation on community healing of trauma, Pastor Elie Nahimana said that, according to the baseline survey report of the mental health integration programme in primary health services carried out in 2009 in the provinces of Gitega, Ngozi, Rumonge and the Bujumbura City Council, more than 8 out of 10 people interviewed know about the existence of mental illnesses and their causes; 33.4% have experienced trauma related to the cyclical violence that Burundi has experienced and 72.6% have experienced traumatic events during their lives. For those who are traumatized, psychological support is needed as a means of recovery.
As for the WHO, he specified, healing the trauma caused by the violence experienced is an essential condition for participating in the reconciliation process in Burundi. Nahimana pointed out that some Catholic dioceses and associations such as MIPAREC are working on reconciliation on the ground, even within the CVR, reconciliation initiatives have been successfully undertaken.
In their discussions, the participants praised the community work carried out by the CVR such as the tracing of roads, the construction of schools and hospitals, in order to support victim families. They requested individual reparation for the victims, identification of the names of those who committed genocides and the drafting of sanctions against them. Ndayicariye replied that concerning the sanctions, the CVR has submitted the list of criminals to the competent commission.
Regarding the investigations to uncover the truth, he specified that this work does not only concern the CVR, but everyone. To close, Ndayicariye asked the participants to be actors of change, pillars to safeguard peace and security and to support the CVR in its mission, in order to resolve the conflicts linked to the dark period of the past in Burundi.