Ashima Kaul, our Kashmir Local Correspondent, is herself a peacebuilder with the Athwaas organisation. In this interview, she takes about her involvement in peacebuilding in Kashmir.

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Borongseengo gives the young people a platform to speak and the opportunity to learn more about the social issues in the conflict area. In this way they can learn more about how they can build peace in their homeland

Borongseengo is funded by the Research Institute of the Faculty of Humanities, Prince of Songkhla Univeristy, Pattani campus.

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The Bartah are displaced from Geissan to a location close to Damzin. A dispute between Bartah and Falattah over farming activities turned into a tribal conflict with two people killed form each tribe. Perpetrators were not identified, leading to an increase in violent reactions amongst the two tribes. Thanks to an initiative launched by People’s Authority for the Development of Bartah an amicable settlement was agreed upon by the parties in the conflict.

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When a dispute erupted between farmers and pastoralists, who let their animals graze on the farmers land, the dispute would have become violent, was it not for the intervention by the Geissan Charity Society.

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In Sali district, a dispute over farming activity transformed into a tribal conflict, with each tribe supporting their kin. The Al Sarakmah Society intervened and the conflict was resolved.

Another success story is that an organization distributed hakoorahs (traditional homeland of a tribe) to some tribes. Other tribes were not present at the distribution and got in conflict with the privileged ones.  The Al Sarakmah Society intervened and managed to resolve the conflict.

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The Organisation of Friends of Peace & Development cooperates with Mubadiroon, UNICEF, United Nations, Mine Action Office, UNDP, UNFPA , Association for Aid & Relief Japan and Madar.

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Gilbert Kwizera a former trainer and member of Tubiyage. He trained local communities of Makamba province in conflicts resolution

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The Joys and Pains of Sharing Land in Makamba

The conflict over land in Burundi continues to spread tensions.Tubiyage Association in partnership with UNICEF launched a project for peaceful resolution of land-conflicts in Makamba.

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Mubidaroon’s conflict resolution often focuses on local disputes which have the potential to escalate. For one example, in the Soda region Mubidaroon have managed to resolve what had been an ongoing dispute between pastoralists and famers in marketplaces.

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“I did it after having followed trainings and attending theatres facilitated by Tubiyage Association to help in peaceful conflict resolution of land-conflicts”. Rémy went on saying that Tubiyage taught both local people who didn’t flee and returnees about tolerance, mutual understanding and equitable sharing of resources as citizens of one nation. “When one returnee came to me telling that I was occupying his land, I consulted local leaders and the community and publicly accepted to share the land; we signed an agreement which is now deposited in the commune office. We now live peacefully in the same place and we meet regularly and share everything” added Rémy, very proud of his action as an act of reconciliation.

The province of Makamba is in the extreme southern part of Burundi near the Tanzanian border. Most of its population fled during different crises that have torn apart Burundi. Repatriation began in 2003, and increased after the successful general elections in 2005. Thousands of camp-based refugees from Tanzania decided to return to their home country and properties. This repatriation has been followed by a rising of land-based conflicts throughout the country. Everywhere, returnees found out their properties occupied by others, an unacceptable situation as land is so much valued and represents a unique resource for survival for more than 90% of Burundians.

Resident Renate Niyungeko (right) explained her fears that if land conflicts are not well managed they will generate a new kind of war between those who come from other regions and those who were born in Makamba. Hagai Mbonyimana, a former returnee of 1972, explained that the context in Makamba was explosive. Returnees were impatient and local people were refusing dialogue. An atmosphere of mistrust, hostility and even violence was characterizing almost every hill of Makamba. I asked him how he would have reacted if local residents have refused to give him back his piece of land, Hagai answered that he would have surely used force to solve the problem.

In 2008, Tubiyage Association, in partnership with UNICEF, launched a project for peaceful resolution of land-conflicts in Makamba. According to Niyongere Scolastique, one of the grassroots facilitators of the project, their approach consisted in three phases: trainings in peaceful conflict resolution, theatrical representations and dialogue sessions. Their work operates as a useful alternative to the work of the National Land and Other Properties Commission (NLOPC), a governmental body established in 2006 to resolve conflicts resulting of the massive return of refugees and IDPs in their homes. The commission encourages people to amicably resolve their conflicts, but when it’s not possible it refers cases in courts or takes its own decision.

Gilbert Kwizera, former manager of the project explained that they have trained 20 persons called local facilitators in each commune who were asked to train at least 5 persons in each village of their respective communes to facilitate theatres and dialogue at grassroots level. In total 600 people were involved in this programme as facilitators.

“We invited both local residents and returnees to attend these theatrical representations where we showed that it’s possible to resolve land-conflicts without turning into courts or National Land and Other Properties Commission (NLOPC)”, said Niyongere. She went on saying that effects of theatres are immediate. “After having assisted to a play, participants discussed and even argued angrily; then we intervened and offered our services as facilitators.” And as result of this work, 600 people have accepted to share their lands and 155 voluntarily given back entirely their lands to returnees.

I asked Gilbert Kwizera, the former project manager if their initiative didn’t interfere with the work of NLOPC. He said that Tubiyage Association’s action is to assist NLOPC and courts to deal with land-conflicts. “We just help the community to solve voluntarily and amicably their problems through dialogue and mutual understanding”.During the implementation of the project, Tubiyage faced some challenges, especially mistrust from local residents who thought that the project’s aim was simply to help returnees to be reinstalled in their lands. Many of local residents feel disappointed and discouraged. A resident who has entirely given back the property he was occupying said: “We were expecting significant reward as result of our act. Instead of this, a big reconciliation party was organized and we were just given a hoe. This is good but far from being enough for someone who has entirely given a property”.

Helène Vyumvuhore, an old woman of Mabanda regretting that those who gave back fully their properties to returnees have not  been treated and rewarded as they imagined before. Although some dissatisfaction is reported here and there, Tubiyage has achieved a lot in this area given its resources and time-frame. The association has contributed to reduce cases normally treated by the NLOPC.

Having an alternative to the government-directed resolution of these land conflicts is imporant as the NLOPC is not always well viewed by people. “Whether or not you are present, the NLOPC agents accompanied by a strong contingent of policemen can come and divide your property! This is what happened to me. I went into the provincial office looking for a document and when I came back, I found that my property has been divided. Such a solution, imposed by force, can not be sustainable”, regretted Ciza Evariste, a former mayor of Nyanza-Lac. He added that such division of property does not take into consideration composition of families. “Whether you have a small or big family, they simply divide the property in two equal parts”.

One of the roles of NLOPC is to identify all state lands and share them to those who have entirely gave back properties to returnees. But this has not been done and is causing a lot of frustration for those who found themselves with very small pieces of land.

For Vital Ndoricimpa in charge of statistics in NLOPC, the commission identified 9,873 hectares of state lands throughout the country. However, he stressed that there is a high demand of land from diverse categories of vulnerable people, and the identified land is far from enough to meet the need.

In total, 15,114 cases have been referred to the NLOPC throughout the country and 7,600 successfully settled. However, Vital Ndoricimpa suggest that gathering rural people in villages might provide a lasting solution to land-based conflicts.

In a country where over 90% of the population is dependent on agriculture, the successful resolution of land disputes is vital to prevent a repetition of the violent conflict of Burundi’s recent past. The experiences of Makamba indicate that these disputes can be solved in way that brings people together – or divides them.

Landry Ninteretse, Local Correspondent, Burundi. 4 March 2010.

Tubiyage Association

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Throughout the country, political propaganda has intensified as we approach the second general elections after the end of the conflict, due to be held in three months. Political parties seem to be determined to win elections at all costs. Defamatory remarks, intimidations, bribes and unrealistic promises are used to convince voters.

Donatien Bucumi is a local senior representative of National Liberation Front, the former rebel group now in the government. He told me that during public meetings held by authorities of the province on the 9th and 31st of January, respectively in Kayogoro and Mabanda, they have strongly defamed the NLF, calling its members dogs, and even their leader Rwasa a dog because his name is made of five letters like a dog (“imbwa” in Kirundi). More frighteningly, a grenade was launched at the party’s local office. Fortunately there were no victims.

Returnees are very numerous in Mabanda, and they constitute a privileged target for political parties. Elias Rwajekera and David Ndabahinyuye, local residents of Mabanda, explained me how a policeman and former member of NLF was seriously beaten by CNDD-FDD members while he was watching over a meeting where returnees were promised all kind of aid only if they vote for the ruling party. “I can’t understand how a local leader registers names and ID numbers of voters! This is normally the role of the National Electoral Commission and this fact shows that frauds are being prepared by CNDD-FDD” added Elias Rwajekera.

A massive campaign of ID distribution was launched in December 2009 in the run up to the elections. However, several irregularities were reported and thousands of people couldn’t get this precious document, necessary for voting. Fitina Hussein (pictured left) and Sango Saidi (pictured right) are two active members of Union for Progress and Democracy, an opposition party. They asserted that their members were refused ID card only because they are known as Muslims, and therefore thought not likely to vote for CNDD-FDD.

Members of CNDD-FDD I met there rejected all those accusations, saying that opposition parties are jealous of their popularity and strong influence.

At the moment, around 3,550,665 Burundians have registered on the voters list while an estimated number of 3,510,954 was expected – an overall participation rate of about 102.12%, according to the Head of the National Electoral Commission Pierre Claver Ndayicariye. In Makamba province, around 186,598 people have registered, including 95,411 men and 91,187 women.

The 2010 general elections -communal, presidential, legislative, senatorial then local– are scheduled between May and September and are crucial for the consolidation of the fragile democratic system in place since 2005. Many analysts have recently called for an efficient election violence monitoring system and deployment of a regional police mission. However, given the difficult working relationship between the government and the international community since the expulsion of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General at the end of 2009, there is no evidence that the government will cooperate. A refusal is likely to compromise the outcomes of elections.

Landry Ninteretse, 01 March 2010, Burundi

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