Post-Gacaca Compensation for Rwanda’s Genocide Survivors: Gaps in Justice and Missed Opportunities for Reconciliation

In this paper, Albert Gasake, Legal Advocacy Coordinator at SURF and Justice Commissioner at GAERG, examines the ongoing struggle of genocide survivors to secure fair compensation for property lost or destroyed during the genocide. The paper looks at the failures of the Gacaca courts, which closed in 2012, and the shortcomings of the laws that…

Justice4Survivors

24 Apr 2013

1–2 minutes

Genocide, Rwanda

In this paper, Albert Gasake, Legal Advocacy Coordinator at SURF and Justice Commissioner at GAERG, examines the ongoing struggle of genocide survivors to secure fair compensation for property lost or destroyed during the genocide.

The paper looks at the failures of the Gacaca courts, which closed in 2012, and the shortcomings of the laws that replaced them—laws meant to address unresolved compensation claims but which have delivered little real progress.

🎥 Watch: Maria’s story — a genocide widow shares her fight to receive compensation for her destroyed property.

A key focus is the Travaux d’Intérêts Généraux (TIG) program, introduced under Gacaca as an alternative penalty. Gasake questions whether TIG has diverted resources away from survivors into public works, leaving many without meaningful redress. He also critiques the Prime Minister’s Special Committee on Gacaca, arguing that its vast remit, short timeline, and lack of enforcement powers make it unlikely to resolve outstanding claims—and that failure to do so risks closing the door on future settlements.

The paper also draws on findings from the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission, whose surveys and community dialogues reveal survivors’ deep concerns over the inadequacy of current compensation processes.

While Gasake acknowledges that reparation alone cannot solve all the challenges survivors face, he stresses that it can provide a measure of restorative justice—offering survivors the means to rebuild their lives, restore dignity, and strengthen reconciliation.

His conclusion is clear: since the genocide, efforts to address compensation have been largely inadequate, and this failure is undermining reconciliation. He calls for urgent action to create an effective, survivor-centered reparation system—a need that is especially pressing as Rwanda approaches the 20th anniversary of the genocide in 2014 and the momentum for compensation wanes.