CHAPTER THREE: DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL GOVERNANCE _____________________________________________________________________ come into conflict with each other and which resulted in deaths and injuries – reveal, in the opinion of stakeholders, that the prevention and management of disputes have shortcomings. Therefore, in the provinces of Bougouriba, Kompienga and Soum, a pilot management and prevention operation was initiated based on rules and regulations. The object was to test the application of the existing regulatory and institutional system in order to make suggestions regarding improvements and popularisation. As a result, village conciliation commissions for settling disputes between farmers and breeders have been set up. The village conciliation commission includes the administrative officer of the concerned village, two representatives of breeders, and two representatives of farmers. These commissions, however, are faced with certain difficulties, such as the illiteracy of rural populations. Box no. 3.3: The process of forgiveness and national reconciliation Following the Norbert Zongo case, and on the recommendation of the College of the Wise, the government has initiated a process of national reconciliation, the main steps of which remain the National Day of Forgiveness and compensation for victims of political violence. National Day of Forgiveness. This is an unprecedented initiative in the political history of Burkina Faso. The government decided to have a National Day of Forgiveness as a result of two factors. On the one hand, the day comes as a result of the recommendation of the Council of the Wise, which is aimed at setting up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission like the one established in South Africa to consider the abuses of apartheid. On the other hand, the day follows the analysis of the national situation characterised by the persistence of a socio-political crisis that followed the Norbert Zongo case, and the determination of certain politicians to fight the regime. Placed under the banner of national reconciliation, it was designed to exorcise the causes of social and political unrest at a national level, to put an end to the escalation of political violence, and to contribute to the preservation of national unity and social peace. The most memorable message delivered on that occasion remains that of President Blaise Compaoré in which he called on the whole nation to show forgiveness on behalf of the state, and all former heads of state, for the crimes and other abuses committed from 1960 to that time. The National Day of Forgiveness was thus an occasion for the head of state to invite all Burkinabe to forgive one another for the wrongs done or suffered in the settlement of political or other disputes, to invite the entire nation to be reconciled with itself (by adopting a code of conduct in which violence would be banished forever, and the question of reparations for moral, material and financial wrongs inflicted on citizens would be addressed) and to commit itself to ensuring the effectiveness of these reparations. Measures taken in this regard include the establishment of a compensation fund for victims of political violence, whose purpose is to provide compensation to victims or, where appropriate, to the dependents of victims of political violence, that is to say, acts committed between 5 August 1960 and 30 March 2001, and the administrative rehabilitation and financial compensation of rehabilitated persons. 163. 94 At the regional level, the CRM welcomes the existence of the Mediation and Security Council of ECOWAS, under the chairpersonship of Burkina Faso. The council also hosts one of the antennae serving as a peacekeeping unit. This unit is known as Area Office and is pre-positioned in the community