VII. Response by International Actors

Well aware of the risks of an ill-trained police force, international donors have provided several training programs for the Burundian police.

In September 2006, the Belgian Technical Cooperation initiated a three-year program for Belgian police to train their Burundian counterparts in community-oriented policing, but actual training began only in September 2007. By the end of 2007 5,144 police officers had received an initial one week of training under this program, as part of a more extensive curriculum which they will follow in alternating groups of 1250 police officers at a time.[118] According to Director General of the National Police Fabien Ndayishimiye, the training included an emphasis on human rights and respect for rule of law.[119] Other international donors and NGOs have also provided training relevant to human rights, but these more limited programs have not reached the majority of officers.[120]

In addition to the Belgian program, which focuses on the rank-and-file, France has provided training to commanding officers. The Netherlands has committed funding to the ICTJ-facilitated census of the police, and a Dutch police advisor is working directly within the Burundian police to develop a strategic reform plan. As an element of this plan the Netherlands is considering financing the office of the inspector general of the police in its efforts to serve as an internal monitor of police conduct. Such a step could be helpful in curbing police abuses.[121]

No formal structure is currently in place to coordinate donor assistance to the police. In 2007 the Burundian government and donor partners launched the Partners' Coordination Group (Groupe de Coordination des Partenaires, GCP) to monitor international aid associated with the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper and the Strategic Framework for Peacebuilding.[122]The GCP encompasses several working groups that coordinate aid to different sectors, but no working group on the police or on security sector reform was in place as of March 2008.[123]A police working group could harmonize aid programs and ensure adequate attention to human rights.

UN officials, both in the previous ONUB operation and in the current BINUB, have played a significant role in police reform and training. The UN Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), a fund operated in conjunction with the UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) with the aim of strengthening institutions in post-conflict states, granted $6,900,000 to the national police in July 2007, but the training to be financed by a portion of this funding had not yet been initiated as of March 2008.[124]

UN Human Rights officers working under the combined direction of BINUB's Human Rights and Justice Section and the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) have effectively monitored violations of human rights by the police. They, like Burundian human rights organizations, have been forthright in demanding accountability.

VIII. Annex: Documented Cases of Police Abuse in Rutegama Commune [125]

Victim	Date of Incident/ Period of Illegal Detention	Accusations against Victim Made by Police at Time of Arrest	Type of Mistreatment
A. Victims Detained at KanigaHealthCenter
1. Businessman	October 8-13, 2007	FNL membership, weapons possession	Beaten with batons and clubs on hands, legs, buttocks, and back; slapped in the face
2. Farmer	October 8-13, 2007	Weapons possession, FNL membership	Beaten with batons on entire body; mock execution; paid 120,000 Fbu for release[126]
3. Demobilized FDD combatant	October 8-16, 2007; continued detention in Muramvya through November 7	FNL membership, weapons possession	Beaten with clubs and batons on the buttocks; mock execution
4. Woman	October 9-16, 2007; continued detention in Muramvya through November 7	FNL membership, theft, weapons possession	Beaten on the buttocks with a baton while handcuffed on the ground
5. Demobilized FDD combatant	October 10-19, 2007	Weapons possession, FNL activity	Picked up by arms and legs, beaten by eight police agents with batons and clubs on buttocks; rocks placed in mouth; threatened with death with an iron bar; forced to watch torture of others ; 22,000 Fbu taken during beating
6. Laborer	October 10-16, 2007; continued detention in Muramvya through November 7	FNL membership, weapons possession	Beaten on buttocks, stomach, and hands with a club; mock execution; paid 14,000 Fbu for release, but detained further because he was unable to produce another 6,000 Fbu
7. Chef de colline (local official)	October 12-17, 2007	Failure to arrest a thief	40 blows with batons and clubs on the buttocks and stomach; paid 35,000 Fbu for release
8. Woman	October 13, detained for a period of hours	Weapons possession	Beaten
9. Teacher	October 13-16, 2007	FNL membership	Picked up by arms and legs, beaten on buttocks and stomach with batons about 50 times; death threats; cloth placed in mouth during beating
10. Teacher	October 13-19, 2007	FNL membership, weapons possession	Picked up by arms and legs, beaten on buttocks and stomach; death threats; paid 40,000 Fbu for release
11. Farmer	October 16-19, 2007	Selling stolen cattle, weapons possession	Picked up by arms and legs, beaten on buttocks with clubs; rocks placed in mouth
12. Man	October 16-19, 2007	Selling stolen cattle, weapons possession	Picked up by arms and legs, beaten on buttocks with clubs; rocks placed in mouth
13. Man	October 16-19, 2007	Selling stolen cattle, weapons possession	Beaten
14. Man	October 16-19, 2007	Selling stolen cattle, weapons possession	Beaten; paid unknown sum for release
15. Police officer	October 25-26, 2007	Insulting GMIR Commander	Beaten
16. Man	October 29, 2007	Motorcycle theft	Beaten at Kaniga
B. Victims Beaten in RutegamaTown
17. Teacher	October 25, 2007	Challenging arrest of previous victim	Beaten in town of Rutegama; death threats
18. Resident of Internally Displaced Persons' Camp	October 25, 2007	In company of previous victim	Slapped in face, kicked on legs and buttocks in town of Rutegama
19. Man	October 26, 2007	Observing beating of another victim	Slapped and threatened in town of Rutegama
20. Farmer	October 26, 2007	FNL membership	Beaten with a club on the buttocks in town of Rutegama
21. Police officer	October 26, 2007	Telling GMIR agent not to harass a woman	Beaten by 8 or 9 police in town of Rutegama

[118] Republic of Burundi and Cooperation Belgo Burundaise, "Projet d'Appui à la Formation de la Police Nationale du Burundi."

[119] Human Rights Watch interview with Director General of the National Police Fabien Ndayishimiye, Bujumbura, December 19, 2007.

[120] Organizations that have provided some police training include the Burundi Leadership Training Program, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Réseau de Citoyens/Citizens' Network (RCN), and Avocats San Frontières (ASF).

[121] Human Rights Watch interview with Major Luc Verhoef, Technical Assistant to the Director General, Embassy of the Netherlands/National Police of Burundi, Bujumbura, December 20, 2007, and a representative of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Burundi, Bujumbura, March 28, 2008.

[122] The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper is an agreement between Burundi, the World Bank and the IMF that is intended to promote growth and reduce poverty. The Strategic Framework for Peacebuilding is a partnership between Burundi, the UN Peacebuilding Commission and other stakeholders, designed "to bring together all relevant actors to marshal resources and to advise on and propose integrated strategies for post-conflict peacebuilding and recovery, to focus attention on the reconstruction and institution-building efforts necessary for recovery from conflict and to support the development of integrated strategies in order to lay the foundation for sustainable development". United Nations Peacebuilding Commission, "Strategic Framework for Peacebuilding in Burundi," PBC/1/BDI/4*, July 30, 2007, p. 4.

[123] Human Rights Watch interview with representative of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Burundi, Bujumbura, March 28, 2008.

[124] The PBF financing, to be administered through the United Nations Development Program, is to support a variety of activities, including some intended to improve discipline and respect for the rule of law and human rights.The police project is to support finishing a census of officers, training in management and logistics, the distribution of new uniforms, collection of "war arms", and the establishment of a computer network to promote the sharing of information and increase accountability. United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, "Burundi Peacebuilding Fund Overview," http://www.unpbf.org/burundi.shtml (accessed March 28, 2008), and United Nations Integrated Office in Burundi (BINUB) Peace Building Fund Project Summary, "Support to Burundian National Police of Operational Proximity", http://www.unpbf.org/burundi-projects.shtml (accessed March 28, 2008).

[125] The table summarizes 21 cases of abuse committed by GMIR officers and local police officers working with them. The list is non-exhaustive but represents the types of abuse suffered both by detainees at Kaniga and by non-detained civilians in Rutegama town. 16 of the victims listed here – 11 of the detainees and all five people beaten in Rutegama town – were interviewed by Human Rights Watch. Information about the other five detainees was obtained through BINUB, Muramvya judicial authorities, and other victims. Human Rights Watch obtained the names of six additional detainees, but could not verify specific details concerning their detention. As noted above, one police officer present estimated that about 50 detainees passed through the center.

[126] 1000 Fbu, or Burundian francs, is equivalent to just under one U.S. dollar.

Table des matières

“Every Morning They Beat Me”

VII. Response by International Actors