Landgraaf Training on the reintegration of Ex-combatants,June 19-26

With the support of International Alert,I am in the training on the reintegration of ex-combatants organized by Transitional International in Landgraaf ,Nederland.
In this small and beautifull city of Holland,courses started on sunday 19th at 3PM by the welcoming speech of Irma Specht,Director of Transition International.
Different notions as : Definitions,phases,regional dimensions of DDR,Reintegration planning,DDR in peace agreement,preparing for reintegration,Reintegration strategies and programmes,Economic Reintegration,social and political reintegration,Psycho-social factors,special concerns will be learned in according with simulation exercises;
I am very interested by this important training which has highly received the participation of different stakeholders of DDR around the world.
I hope also CEDAC will benefit for this important training.

Eric Niragira

Communiqué de presse CEDAC

Faisant suite à des récentes actes de violence que nous remarquons dans quelques provinces du pays et essentiellement la province de Bujumbura Rural,le Centre d’Encadrement et de Développement des Anciens Combattants « CEDAC » a l’honneur de porter à l’opinion nationale et internationale ce qui suit :

Le CEDAC condamne énergiquement les actes de violence commises ces derniers temps surtout que nous étions dans une phase post conflictuelle où les efforts de tout un chacun étaient vivement souhaités pour sauvegarder la paix et promouvoir le développement.
Ces actes de violence surgissent également au moment où le peuple burundais croupisse dans la misère liée à la pauvreté.

Face à tout cela, le CEDAC lance une voix forte aux ex-combattants de garder un comportement responsable en ayant de véritables apôtres de la paix comme nous le prônons pour toujours en combattant toute acte de violence partout où ils se trouvent.

Nous encourageons le Gouvernement et toute l’opinion nationale et internationale à utiliser toutes les voix possibles pour favoriser l’arrêt immédiat de ces actes de violence.
Au peuple burundais, nous encourageons la culture de patriotisme et de fraternité et aux bienfaiteurs du Burundi, nous leur encourageons à continuer à appuyer le Burundi dans ces moments difficiles.

Le CEDAC manifeste sa vive détermination de continuer son programme de lutte contre la violence armée au Burundi en étroite collaboration avec toute partie intéressée, pour un bon avenir du Burundi.


Fait à Bujumbura 2 juin 2011

Eric Niragira

Président Fondateur et Représentant Légal

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Training on the role of economic actors in peace building , Sweden,march 31st to 6th april 2011

Dear readers ,I would like now to speak a bit about the training on the role of economic actors in the peace building which is been held in Sando ,Sweden ,from 31st march to 6th april.

As an actor working in peace building in Burundi,i got a chance to participate in this training which is organized by folke bernadotte academy.
The first day was characterised by the analysis of conflict and kee element used to solve any kind of conflict.

We are now studying how economic power can be used to prevent conflict .Thhis training gave really an opportunity to share information on social and economic reintegration of formers combatants to people coming from more than twenty countries

Eric from Sando ,sweden

Conference on armed violence and development,Amsterdam 23rd-25th January 2011

From 23rd to 25th January 2011 is holding in Amsterdam a conference on armed violence with stake holders in different region of the world.

I have been invited in this conference in order to give my contribution about the work of CEDAC in Burundi.
The conference began on Sunday with the reception realized by Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) and IKV Pax Christi who are the main organizers of the conference
Today, we started the conference on two aspects as measuring armed violence and victim assistance. I participated in the group of victim assistance with the Moderation of Nerina Cevra, specialist of Survivor right and victim assistance in AOAV.
The group started the work with my presentation when I was talking about the work of CEDAC in victim assistance and armed violence in Burundi, a presentation which has been highly appreciated by the participants.
According to recovery and inclusion to victims , Dr Ken Rutherford from the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery ,USA, gave his presentation where he showed the importance of Peer to Peer Support in the recovery to victims or survivor of armed violence.
I am still continuing the conference and it is really interesting to the work of CEDAC in Burundi.

Eric Niragira

Eric in the first meeting of state on Convention on Cluster Munitions,Vientiane,Laos ,november 6-13

It is very impressing to talk about my participation in that meeting which is collect all stakeholders in landmine and cluster munition in Laos from 6th to 13rd november.

As chairman of the training center for development (CEDAC) ,I have been invited and supported by Mine Action Canada to participate in the Youth Leaders Forum which is is organized in parallel with the meeting of States Parties to the Convention.
The objective is to give young people campagners from differents contries of the world an extensive knowledge in the fight against cluster munitios and how to advocate for the implementation of the convention on cluster munitions

As Victim Assistance,today on monday,8th november,I was invited by ICBL in the meeting of Victim assistance focal points,survivors of cluster munitions and landmine and other stakeholders in the Cluster Munitions.
The intention of the meeting was to share information on Convention and see together what we can do in the pronotion of the implemetantion of the convention and specificaly the implementation of victim assistance in the different countries affected by cluster munitions bombs and landmines.

On friday ,12th november,CEDAC,my organisation,in collaboration with Action on Armed Violence (AOAV UK) and Seguridad Humana en Latinoamerica y el Caribe (SEHLAC),are organising an event with the theme : WHAT¹S NEXT IN HUMANITARIAN DISARMAMENT
Opportunities for civil society engagement.
We want all civilian societies present in the conference,to be informed about where we are with the rogram and what can be done in the future.
I remain convinced that this meeting will have a positive impact on countries which require assistance to victims and the fight against armed violence.

Eric from Laos Vientiane

My Trip to New York

From September 17 to 24, 2010, I undertook a mission to New York to attend several civil society events organized on the margins of the High-Level Plenary Meeting of the UN general Assembly taken in New York from 20 to 22 September 2010. I was invited and supported by Action On Armed Violence "AOAV», a UK organisation working in partnership in fight against armed violence and victim assistance.

It is not easy to describe in a few words how I found New York City but that town with the headquarters of the United Nations was interested me from the economically and socially point.
With large buildings in floor, I admired the order that reigns in the road despite a large number of vehicles that circulate New York.
Despite their different colours, languages, culture and religion, the mutual respect that characterizes people who live in New York left me feeling a good example that everyone else might follow for peaceful coexistence and a real global change.

Then, the activities began with a series of meetings organized by international organizations in which my organization CEDAC supported a pact on peace and security prepared by AOAV" Global Call to Action Again Poverty "CGAP" and "The World We Want 2015.
My statement was based mainly on the integration aspect of armed struggle against violence in the final document of the MDGs.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010, by Carla De Ycaza, teacher at New York University, I had the opportunity to respond to the invitation of the university students who wanted to know a lot about my work in Burundi through CEDAC which I am a legal representative.
They have appreciated the work done by the PMRC in its effort to contribute to the fight against armed violence and promoting development.
I want to thank any one for the time he spent for meeting with me and AOAV which funded my mission in New York.


Eric Niragira

To reinforce the communicative competence of Burundi Civil Society Organisations leaders is a necessity

On 12th July, 2010, the Forum for the Reinforcement of the Civil Society in collaboration of ARCANE organized a workshop of sensitizing leaders of Burundi Civil Society Organizations under the theme ‘The dynamic of communication and the use of the Burundi Civil Society website.’

This workshop held at Novotel Hotel came as an opportunity given to Burundi civil society organizations leaders in order to the role of effective communication in terms of meeting the missions and the goals of the organizations they lead.
CEDAC, one of the civil society organizations whose mission is to train ex- combatants for the social and development integration took part in that workshop.

Inviting CEDAC in such workshop is a sign that shows the degree of contribution that it gives to the building of a peaceful civil society in by giving hope and healing to people who experienced war wounds and atrocities

An other focus point of the workshop was to invite the leaders of civil society organizations to update the website by publishing what they realize, what is also to advertise for their organizations.
Let’s remind that the website is www.societecivile-burundi.org

By Niyongabo Jean Baptiste.

My Visit to Geneva

From 11 to 13 May 2010 I made a working visit to Geneva, the capital of the Swiss Confederation. This town which is also a hub of international diplomacy has touched me at first by its geographical situation. It has the same as Bujumbura in Burundi. Indeed ,many of my friends from the Swiss have always said that Burundi and is Switzerland of Africa.
I also admired the UN headquarters and it was for me an opportunity to contemplate where the decisions that engage the world are taken.

I went to Geneva in a summit that was dedicated to the Oslo commitments in the fight against armed violence and its integration into the MDGs .56 states had responded to the invitation and I was representing civil society of Burundi. The summit was fenced on a commitment by States and civil society to support commitments in Oslo.
I am interested in positive step already achieved and that will contribute to the recovery of armed violence worldwide.