BUJUMBURA, June 12 (ABP) – On Tuesday, June 10, 2025, the ministry of justice officially transferred to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CVR) the land and property files that had not been addressed by the National Commission for Land and Other Property (CNTB) and the Special Court for Land and Other Property (CSTB).
This transfer follows the conclusion of the mandates of the CNTB and the CSTB, entrusting the CVR with the responsibility of finalizing these pending files.
During the handover ceremony, the minister of justice, Domine Banyankimbona, presented an overview of the files processed by the previous entities. At the provincial level, 48,087 files out of 65,972 were finalized, while at the national level, 3,185 files out of 7,008 were closed.
The vice-president of the CVR, Aimé Joseph Kimararungu, emphasized that this file transfer marks the implementation of the law governing the CVR. He reminded everyone that the CVR is not a court but a transitional justice commission. Its mission is to restore the rights of victims concerning the properties that were looted during the various crises that Burundi has experienced.
The CVR is not only preparing to resume the processing of pending files but also to receive new claims related to stolen properties. Additionally, the CVR has set up representatives in the new provinces to facilitate the reception of these files, including those previously managed by the CNTB and CSTB at the provincial level, which are now under the jurisdiction of the High Courts. He added that a schedule would be established in collaboration with the ministry of justice for the collection and processing of these files at the provincial level.
In total, 21,708 land files remain unresolved, of which 17,885 are at the provincial level and 3,823 are at the national level. These files will now fall under the responsibility of the CVR for final processing.
The Vice-President of the CVR stressed that all land files held by the jurisdictions must be transferred to the CVR before July 16, 2025.