SOUTHERN PROVINCE

NYANZA — Provincial authorities have lifted a ban on conducting business during Gacaca trial days. The move is aimed at enabling people to get back to work since most cases in the second and third categories have been completed.

According to the Provincial Governor Fidele Ndayisaba, after consultations with local authorities and the general public, it was realised that people with different employment had decided to take such days as a holiday.

He said, "We realised that people are neither going to work nor attending Gacaca sessions and besides there are very few cases remaining to be tried in the different courts.”

Districts in the Province had allocated a day each week for Gacaca trials. Some had set aside two days. Such days meant closure of offices and shops and a disruption of public transport services.

However the Governor said that the hearing of new cases, retrials and appeals will continue and district authorities will decide where there is need to suspend work to enable residents to attend such sessions.

The Governor said that Gacaca will not cease operations. He added that new cases that come up will be tried including those in the first category whose trials will begin soon.

According to the Governor completion of cases in the second and third categories stand at 97 per cent. Kamonyi district which had the biggest number of Genocide cases remains with only 21 such cases to be tried.

In Nyamagabe district completion cases in the second and third categories stands at 99 per cent. According to the district Mayor Alphonse Munyantwali, allowing people to work officially will cut down on idleness since people had decided to take a holiday on Gacaca trial days.

"People had decided to stay home since most Gacaca courts had completed trials. This intervention will promote work,” said the Mayor.

In Gisagara district, training of Gacaca court judges who will handle cases in the first category has started. According to the district Mayor Leandre Karekezi, nearly all cases in the second and third categories have been completed except for a few appeals and retrials.

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