Promoting Peace and Economic Security in Rwanda through Fair and Equitable Land Rights

Citation:

Crook, Jamie. 2006. “Promoting Peace and Economic Security in Rwanda through Fair and Equitable Land Rights.” California Law Review 94 (5): 1487-536. 

Author: Jamie Crook

Abstract:

Land is part of the common heritage of all Rwandans: past, present, and future generations.

Rwanda, the most densely populated country in sub-Saharan Africa, is facing a land crisis that has begun to destabilize the state's subsistence agriculture economy and its people's traditionally agrarian way of life. Since emerging from a genocide that killed 800,000 people in three months and sent close to two million more into exile, the country has experienced major political and social upheaval, including the challenge of accommodating competing claimants' land rights in the midst of a veritable land shortage. In response to the land crisis, the government has pursued policies that have not protected vulnerable segments of its population, including returning refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Women, who head 34% of all households in Rwanda, are particularly susceptible to land instability. (Introduction)

Topics: Agriculture, Economies, Gender, Governance, Households, Livelihoods, Political Economies, Rights, Land Rights Regions: Africa, Central Africa, East Africa Countries: Rwanda

Year: 2006