BUJUMBURA, April 29th (ABP) – The truth already found by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CVR) must be understood and accepted as truth in the service of life, reconciliation and peace, CVR President Pierre Claver Ndayicariye said on 25 April 2024 at a public conference on the theme “April in Burundi. Truth in the service of reconciliation”. The main aim of the conference was to enlighten Burundians and help them to overcome their fear.
Mr. Ndayicariye explained that the CVR had already completed the census in three provinces: Cankuzo, Bururi and Rumonge. There, it was found that many people of Hutu ethnicity were killed in the years 1972-1973, pointing out that there are also Tutsi families who have lost theirs, but also Twa families who have been affected, particularly in the province of Mwaro, according to the data collected and processed during the CVR surveys and during the census for the 2023 financial year. To ensure that that census is extended to the country’s other provinces, the CVR is continuing to consult the budgetary authority on a regular basis, he announced.
According to Mr Ndayicariye, in 1972, in Cankuzo province, out of 262 people who disappeared, 238 were Hutu, 22 Tutsi and 1 Twa. In Bururi province, of the 4,014 people murdered or missing, 3,787 were Hutu, 242 Tutsi, 9 Twa and 1 person whose ethnicity was not identified. Of the 2,339 people murdered in Rumonge province, 2,134 were Hutu, 186 Tutsi, 14 Twa and 5 whose ethnic identity was not revealed. Moreover, he continued, the census of the victims and perpetrators of the crimes has an enormous advantage because it puts a name to both the victim and the killer.
He also pointed out that the CVR wants Burundians to move away from a state of vindictive memory towards a shared memory. To that end, a census is planned to find out as much as possible about those who were murdered, those who disappeared, those who have already granted forgiveness and those who saved others.
Addressing the participants at the conference, the CVR President recalled that message: “Let us no longer be afraid of the truth, but rather of lies, because lies and negative ethnic solidarity have killed thousands of innocent citizens in our country”.
The participants in turn expressed their appreciation of the CVR’s activities, arguing that such activities facilitate tranquility in the various families. They recommended that such activities continue so that everyone can learn about Burundi’s painful past.