Note d’Analyse – Conflits fonciers liés au climat au Rwanda : Défis, risques et opportunités pour la paix

Le changement climatique et la croissance rapide de la population ont un impact sur la disponibilité des terres agricoles au Rwanda et sur l’augmentation des conflits liés à l’utilisation et à la propriété des terres, en particulier lorsqu’ils sont associés à une insatisfaction à l’égard des politiques gouvernementales. Cependant, les investissements du gouvernement rwandais, le réseau d’organisations de la société civile rwandaise et l’intérêt international croissant pour l’adaptation au changement climatique constituent des opportunités de prévention et d’atténuation de conflits fonciers. Search for Common Ground (Search) a réuni des universitaires et des praticiens de la consolidation de la paix et des décideurs à Kigali en novembre 2021 pour examiner les opportunités d’aborder les enjeux émergents à l’intersection des terres, du climat et des conflits. Les participants se sont tous accordés sur la nécessité de développer des réponses et des mesures d’adaptation inclusives, participatives et durables aux enjeux du changement climatique qui tiennent compte de la dynamique des conflits fonciers au Rwanda.

This entry was posted in Africa, Reports and tagged Rwanda, Rwanda Reports on August 1, 2022.

Issue Brief – Climate-Driven Land Conflict in Rwanda: Challenges, Risks, and Opportunities for Peace – April 2022

CRN003 – Amplifying the Expertise of African Peacebuilding Practitioners and Scholars.

The changing climate and rapid population growth are impacting the availability of farmland in Rwanda and an increase in conflicts over land use and ownership, especially when coupled with dissatisfaction over government policies. However, investments by the government of Rwanda, Rwanda’s network of civil society organizations, and a growing international focus on climate change adaptation present opportunities to prevent and mitigate conflicts over land. Search for Common Ground convened academics and peacebuilding and policy practitioners in Kigali in November 2021 to examine opportunities to address emerging issues at the intersection of land, climate and conflict.

Participants strongly aligned around the need to develop inclusive, participatory, and sustainable responses and adaptation to climate change issues that consider the dynamics of conflict over land in Rwanda.

This entry was posted in Africa, Global, Reports and tagged Global, Global Reports, Rwanda, Rwanda Reports on April 22, 2022.

Research on Cross Border Trade Between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda – November 2019

This publication was produced by Search for Common Ground, for review by the European Union Delegation in Rwanda. This study was made possible thanks to the financial support of the European Union delegation in Rwanda, and its content is the responsibility of Search for Common Ground, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

Cross-border trade (CBT) has been the foundational basis of the “survival economies” of landlocked communities in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for decades. These economic exchanges are essential in reducing poverty and supporting livelihoods and serve as a means for cross-cultural interactions between the two communities. In addition, CBT plays a significant role in the national economies of the two countries. Search for Common Ground (Search), with the support of the European Union, conducted a research as part of the “Secure Cross Border Social Economic and Commercial Activities in the Great Lakes Region” project, which aims to increase the cross border trade and reduce social tensions between cross border communities in Rwanda and DRC.

The study reveals that most exported good from both countries are agricultural goods. Yet, Rwandan exports significantly surpass the volume of DRC exports. Petty traders on both sides of the border generate similar incomes with most traders earning “less than US $50 per week”. As women constitute the majority of small-scale cross-border traders in both Rwanda and DRC, there are particular gendered issues that affect their equal participation and protection while crossing the border with their goods. Additional barriers to CBT were also reported by a vast majority of traders, stating that they face regular challenges in their work, among which high taxes and corruption. When confronted with such challenges, traders on the Bukavu side overwhelmingly (65%) opted not to consult anyone, while their counterparts on the Rusizi II side mainly referred to the border police (51.3%).

In terms of knowledge of CBT policies and regulations, the majority of Congolese cross-border traders reported having an average level of knowledge of CBT policies and procedures, whereas the majority of the Rwandan traders reported having a poor knowledge of the same. This was particularly evident for taxation requirements, which leaves traders incredibly vulnerable to manipulation and double taxation. To avoid paying taxes, some traders opt to use informal routes. The avoidance of taxes (70.2%) was cited as the number one reason for traders to use informal routes, with transportation of fraudulent products
(20.6%) as the second.

Finally, findings from the research reveal a majority of CBT-related conflicts can be categorized into three types, dependent on the actors involved: (1) tensions between petty CB traders and border officials; (2) tensions among CB traders themselves, and CB traders and customers; and (3) tensions between traders from Rusizi II and from Bukavu across the border. Tensions with border officials on both sides were overwhelmingly mentioned by respondents as not only a common issue but also a deterrent for others to engage in cross-border trade activities.

This entry was posted in Africa, Reports and tagged Rwanda, Rwanda Reports on May 14, 2020.

Great Lakes Region Media Programming

Search is a recognized pioneer in working with actors at all levels to use media to promote peace and stability in conflict-affected communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Rwanda.

The crisis that engulfed the Great Lakes Region twenty five years ago led to the greatest human tragedy. The genocide in Rwanda, civil war in Burundi, and ongoing violent conflicts in the DRC have led to the deaths of millions of ordinary people, a humanitarian catastrophe, and one of the world’s largest deployment of UN Peacekeepers. Search has been working with local institutions to build regional consciousness, connections and capacities, with a
particular focus on university-age youth – the next generation of political and journalists.

This entry was posted in Africa, Reports and tagged Burundi, Burundi Reports, DRC, DRC Reports, Rwanda, Rwanda Reports on February 24, 2020.

Search for Common Ground Rwanda: 2017–2021 Country Strategy

This entry was posted in Africa, Reports and tagged Rwanda, Rwanda Reports on July 8, 2018.

Strengthening citizen participation around sensitive issues in order to prevent conflicts in the Great Lakes region: The role and place of women in mediation in Gisagara District, Rwanda

In the Great Lakes of Africa, Search for Common Ground (SFCG) identified the resolution of land disputes as the most critical social issue to enhance governments’ legitimacy and conflict prevention capacity in Burundi, Rwanda, and the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Given its vital economic value but also its important social and political implications, land is a main source of competition in the Great Lakes’ region, where agriculture and land ownership constitute the major mean for survival for a great majority of the population. The power, cultural, and identity-related issues linked to land, as well as its centrality to socio- economic development highlight its significant relevance to peace. In the absence of alternatives to agriculture, land access and ownership have caused mounting tensions in all three countries. The region’s high population density exacerbates the pressure on land. Rwanda is among the smallest countries in the world, with more than 250 inhabitants per square kilometer.

To help tackle land issues in a non-violent way, Search for Common Ground (SFCG) in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice in Rwanda (MINIJUST) has been working to train Abunzi mediators in conflict resolution and mediation skills using peaceful methods as a part of its regional project “Terre d’Entente”, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands since July 2012. This case study focuses on the role of female mediators in resolving land related conflicts in Rwanda. It assesses the contribution of trainings and regional exchanges delivered by SFCG to support female mediators to achieve this goal.

This entry was posted in Africa, Reports, Resources and tagged Land Conflict, Rwanda, Rwanda Land Conflict Transformation, Rwanda Reports on April 4, 2017.

Improving the Cross Border Trade Environment through Improved Research and Advocacy on Cross Border Trade Issues

This case study report presents research on regional project, which began in July 2016 and finishes in June 2017, targeting small traders crossing the borders between Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) whose objective is to support peace through economic development and improved citizen-government relations in the area of cross-border trade, supporting enhanced confidence in traded goods and services between Rwanda and DRC. This case study used a purely qualitative approach, including Focus Group Discussions and Key Informant Interviews. This study examined how useful the forums and town hall meetings organized by the project were to address key cross border trade issues, in terms of what improvements there were to border practices and relations. Findings were that forums and town halls were successful in educating small-traders on the regulations around their goods and travel, resulting in them feeling more confident in their interactions with border agents and more aware of their options. The forums and town halls were also successful in informing Rwanda border agents of challenges the small-traders faced with delays, resulting in Rwanda border agents changing their policies and staffing to better accommodate the needs of the small-traders. Overall the forums and town-halls improved relationships between Congolese and Rwanda small-traders and border agents, particularly on the Rwandan side. On the other hand, there was no improvement in the use of force and harassment in DRC by border agents and private citizens posing as authorities. Also high taxes on certain goods remain in place, hurting the business of small traders, and many participants believe the project should include financial support to small-traders.

This entry was posted in Africa, Reports, Resources and tagged border, case study, Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, DRC Reports, gender, Rwanda, Rwanda Reports, small-trade, trade on March 27, 2017.