After a decade-long civil war, most of Burundi is now largely at peace, and a new United Nations peacekeeping mission has been deployed to accompany the electoral and peace-building process.
In April 2004, the ICTJ participated in a seminar on transitional justice organized by the International Crisis Group in Nairobi. Four Burundian activists were present, and recommendations were made regarding the prosecution of perpetrators, vetting of security force personnel, and establishment of a truth commission.
In May 2004, the UN launched a mission to assess the feasibility and advisability of establishing the international commission of inquiry requested in the peace accords. Senior Associate Federico Borello and Country Programs Director Paul van Zyl met with the members of the delegation before their mission and upon their return, providing briefings on transitional justice issues central to their mandate, such as criteria for evaluating the capacity of domestic judiciaries to deal with past abuses and issues related to the establishment of a truth commission.
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