The aftermath of the genocide overwhelmed Rwanda’s prisons and ordinary legal institutions. In response, the government introduced gacaca courts, a system based on village tribunals but incorporating elements of conventional Western courts. The approach sought to process a vast number of cases within local communities rather than relying solely on formal national courts.

Gacaca courts had jurisdiction over people accused of murder, bodily injury, and property damage. Their local character placed testimony, accountability, and community participation at the center of proceedings. The system was therefore connected not only to punishment but also to the wider political goal of national reconciliation.

The excerpt presents gacaca as one component of the RPF government’s postgenocide program, alongside the establishment of security, reconstruction of the economy, and efforts to reconcile survivors and perpetrators. Its existence reflects the extraordinary institutional burden created by the scale of the crimes committed in 1994.