On Monday, 18 June, the ‘Gacaca’ or community courts in Rwanda were officially closed. The traditional justice system has been credited for easing tensions and promoting unity and reconciliation among Rwandans especially after the 1994 genocide against ethnic Tutsi.
Since being set up in 2001 the tribunals have tried nearly two million people, convicting 65% percent of them.
President Paul Kagame noted at the closing ceremony held in Kigali Capital, “This event is not simply to mark the closure of the courts, but also to recognise the enduring value of the process”.
An official statement from the office of the presidency said, “It is a celebration of the restoration of unity and trust among Rwandans, and reaffirmation of our ability to find our own answers to seemingly intractable questions”.
Some 12,100 grass-roots gacaca courts, inspired by onetime village gatherings in which elders would adjudicate disputes, have tried the vast majority of suspects in the 1994 genocide that killed a million ethnic Tutsis.
President kagame explained that, “We had three choices: first was the more dangerous path of revenge, or secondly, grant general amnesty, both of which would have led to further anarchy and destruction,” he said.
“But we chose the third and more difficult course of dealing with the matter decisively and restoring the unity and integrity of the nation.”
“It received criticism both from within and outside Rwanda, yet those criticizing offered no viable alternatives that could deliver the results we needed.”
The gacaca were introduced to reduce the backlog of genocide cases that threatened to swamp the country’s traditional court system after the weeks-long genocide. They were also meant to foster national reconciliation.
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