IMC rejects government reports

The 29-member Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC) for the Burundi peace agreement on Friday rejected three reports forwarded by Burundi government saying they were “inadequate”, the independent Hirondelle news service reported. “Unfortunately the Burundi government did not do what the last session of the IMC requested,” Hirondelle quoted a delegate as saying. It quoted informed as saying that the body has asked its chairman, Ambassador Berhanu Dinka, to write to Burundi President Pierre Buyoya asking him to conform with the IMC request. At its last session in May, the IMC had asked the government to bring reports concerning: the scrapping or amendment of laws hindering political freedom, a bill against genocide and crimes against humanity, Hirondelle said. However, the government instead brought reports concerning bills on the transitional constitution and parliament, and on the functioning of political parties. A delegate told Hirondelle that it was not the current government’s job to work on these things, but rather the task of the transition government, which is to take over on 1 November. Burundi radio, for its part, quoted members of the commission as saying that the government should have first presented draft bills on genocide and crimes against humanity, temporary immunity and setting up of the commission on issues related to political prisoners. According to the radio, the meeting recommended that the commission on political prisoners be set up by latest 19 September this year. “It is expected to comprise 12 members, including four experts and eight Burundians appointed by the group of seven pro-Hutu parties (G7) and the group of 10 pro-Tutsi parties (G10). The Friday meeting discussed how to set up a national commission for rehabilitation of refugees and displaced people.