CIBITOKE June 23rd (ABP) – The ceremonies for the handing over of material and equipment support, consisting of a vehicle, twelve motorcycles and six sound systems, by IOM to the Ministry in charge of the Interior, took place on Wednesday, June 21, at the headquarters of Cibitoke province. It is the Assistant to the Minister in charge of the Interior, Célestin Nibona Bonansize, who represented the Minister, in that ceremony of reception of a Jeep vehicle, granted to the said Ministry for the supervision and the follow-up of the activities of the IOM; and the 12 motorcycles granted to the communal land services, which will facilitate the field trips of the land agents, in order to speed up the administrative procedures, a check by ABP revealed.
For the Assistant to the Minister, that support from the IOM is part of the reintegration program for returnees in the areas of return.
He said that this support comes after another consisting of office equipment, with one computer per commune, and topographic devices, given on March 15 to the same land services. He specified that such support from IOM is similar for five provinces, including Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Kirundo, Muyinga and Ruyigi. He thanked IOM for its interventions in strengthening access to housing, property, and others.
The Representative of the Ministry in charge of the Interior also provided advice to the leaders of the communes and to the beneficiaries of that support, to make good use of it for the benefit of the people. As for the Head of Programs of the IOM, Michael Asima, that support is part of a strategy to strengthen the land system aimed at benefiting the whole Burundian society, including the returnees. He clarified that IOM has worked with local actors, since 2020, to strengthen land security, promote equitable access to land and contribute to the reduction of land conflicts. He recalled the achievements of the IOM, in the five provinces, including the training of 68 land agents on land registration techniques; 345 members of local councils trained on texts and laws governing the land sector; 44,000 people sensitized on registration procedures and land rights; and 21,000 land certificates issued.