Land in africa: market asset or secure livelihood Conference, November 8- 9th 2004

The present paper is not the first to deal with land conflict in Rwanda (Howegen 1998, RISD 1999, Johns 2000, Musahara 2001, Liversage 2003, …). In the light of the past experience, previous debates and finds on land conflict in Rwanda, the paper seeks to suggest some critical issues to reflect and debate on. It also offers a framework for analysing some realities about land conflict at grassroot level. Some theorical explanations are also provided to help in deepening the understanding of the pitfalls in the design and implementation process related policies.

Section two of this paper covers the effects of Rwandan conflicts and provides general socio-economic information in relation to land. Section three looks at the historical of the land tenure in Rwanda and the root courses of the land conflict today. Section four addresses the measures taken after 1994 to mitigate the conflicts, the underlying principles of the land policy and the way forward. Finally section five dwells on the conclusions and lessons that can be drawn from Rwandan experience.