A/HRC/9/14 page 4 I. INTRODUCTION 1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 6/5, in which the Council decided to extend the mandate of the independent expert on the human rights situation in Burundi for a further year. The independent expert, who was entrusted with this mandate by the Commission on Human Rights in 2004, was requested to submit a final report to the Council at its ninth session on the effectiveness and efficiency of the measures applied in practice. 2. The present report covers the independent expert’s ninth and tenth visits to Burundi, which were undertaken from 2 to 8 December 2007 and from 29 June to 12 July 2008, respectively. The report addresses the general human rights situation in Burundi, with a special focus on: (a) Progress made by the Government of Burundi in creating the necessary conditions for the enjoyment of human rights; (b) The political situation and its impact on human rights, including the implementation of the comprehensive ceasefire agreement signed by the Government and the Forces nationale pour la libération (FNL-Palipehutu) on 7 September 2006; (c) Progress in the investigation into the massacre of some 30 suspected rebels by military personnel in Muyinga between May and August 2006; (d) Implementation of recommendations on the reform of the justice system and the establishment of transitional justice mechanisms; (e) Progress made by the Government in the process of establishing a credible and independent national human rights commission. 3. The independent expert wishes to thank the Government of Burundi for its cooperation during his visits and, in particular, for allowing access to all officials he had expressed the wish to meet and to all institutions and places necessary for the discharge of his mandate. He also wishes to thank all his interlocutors and counterparts for their contribution to the success of his mission. 4. During his visits, the independent expert met the First Vice-President of the Republic, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Minister for National Solidarity, Human Rights and Gender Issues, the deputy-Minister in charge of human rights and gender and the Attorney-General. He also met the tripartite steering committee on national consultation, which provided him with information on the work of the body. In addition, he met representatives of various human rights non-governmental organizations, including civil society organizations. Other people he met included the Executive Representative of the Secretary-General for Burundi and his deputy, the Representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and Director of the Human Rights and Justice Section of the United Nations Integrated Office in Burundi (BINUB), the representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Ambassador of Belgium, the