Personal and political reconciliation in post-genocide Rwanda.

Source: (2011) Social Justice Research. 24(1):85-106.

The majority of scholarly research on Rwanda currently focuses on
determining the causes of and participation in the genocide. In this paper, we
explore a variety of questions that have come to the forefront in post-genocide
Rwanda. In particular, we are concerned with the prospects for peace and justice in
the aftermath of the gross abuses of human rights that occurred and, to that end, we
consider the potential uses and limits of restorative justice initiatives in the process
of healing and reconciliation in Rwanda. We argue that restorative justice initiatives
have moved the country closer toward reconciliation than retributive measures, such
as the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. That said, we also suggest that
the Rwandan government, despite claims that it seeks to achieve reconciliation, has
not shown a serious commitment to healing the wounds that persist between either
individual Rwandans or the groups that they comprise. In the end, then, we make a
case for the importance of pairing a comprehensive search for justice in Rwanda
with a commitment to truth-telling and accountability by the victims and perpetrators
of the genocide, as well as by current government officials. (author’s abstract)