BURKINA FASO: The National Reconciliation and Reforms Commission consults the population about their concerns and reform suggestions
The National Reconciliation and Reforms Commission (NRRC) has interviewed people around the country to find out their concerns and suggestions for reforms. During this time, the Comission has met with trade unionists, businessmen, traders, religious communities, media, and a large number of civil society organisations. People interviewed have asked for better governance and greater care of the common good, and for the Commission to address not only political but also economical crimes. In parallel, the Commission has also opened a one-month on-line participatory process where citizens can send their suggestions to foster reconciliation or to promote electoral, constitutional, political, institutional, finance and media reforms. The Commission, which was set up in December 2014, has been criticised for not addressing the issue of “truth”. The limited Commission mandate, which hinders documenting political and economical crimes, caused the resignation of the jurist and member of the Commission, Siaka Coulibaly, in March 2015. At that moment, Coulibaly warned that without documenting the past, neither truth nor justice could be reached, and reconciliation would not be genuine. However, in parallel to the tasks of the Commission, the government has initiated the exhumation of the body of former President Thomas Sankara, assassinated in 1987, to help identify the corpse. (NRRC, 18, 22/05/15; Le Pays, 15/05/15; BBC, 25/05/15)