This Policy Brief will assess whether reparations as a form of redress for historical injustice can be utilised to address the grievances of Burundian victims of land expropriation. The Policy Brief begins by describing the legacy of conflict and the challenges of repatriations and land claims. It then outlines some of the difficulties of the present land dispute resolution mechanisms. In this context, it then proposes potential policy prescriptions for reparations to victims of land dispossession, drawing on the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 60/147 Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law. It concludes with a number of policy recommendations on how to address the contesting land claims within the broader framework of Burundi’s commitment to transitional justice, reconciliation and sustainable peace.

By Judith Binder and Tim Murithi
Pages: 18
Dimensions: A4
Date of publication: July 2013