Burundi: Membership cards of the National Council for the Defence of Democracy - Forces for the Defence of Democracy (Conseil national pour la défense de la démocratie - Forces pour la défense de la démocratie, CNDD-FDD) and their issuance (2004-2016)
Information on CNDD-FDD membership cards and their issuance was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
With respect to the process for obtaining the membership cards, in correspondence sent to the Research Directorate, a doctor of political and social sciences at the University of Lake Tanganyika (Université du Lac Tanganyika) explains that the same process applies to all parties in Burundi: an individual joins a party; a [translation] “candidate monitoring” period follows; and, after a minimum of three months (the doctor notes that the duration could vary, however), the official oath taking ceremony is held in the commune (doctor of political and social science, 15 Dec. 2016). It is at that time that the signs and symbols, such as the membership card, scarf or uniform, are given (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Doctor of political and social sciences, Université du Lac Tanganyika, Bujumbura. 15 December 2016. Correspondence sent to the Research Directorate.
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral sources: Independent consultant on Burundi; researcher, Institut de recherche pour le développement.
Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; ecoi.net; Factiva; Fédération internationale des ligues de droits de l’homme; Freedom House; Human Rights Watch; International Crisis Group; IRIN; Keesing’s Document Checker; United Nations – Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Refworld, ReliefWeb; United States – Department of State.