Tito Rutaremara Recounts Origins of Rwanda's Gacaca Courts

KIGALI, July 4, 2026 - Tito Rutaremara, Director General of Rwanda's National Advisory Board of Experts, has described how the idea of using Gacaca courts emerged as a response to the overwhelming number of suspects accused of participating in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Rutaremara said the proposal took shape after he was tasked with investigating the planning and execution of the genocide and identifying a practical way to prosecute the large number of suspects. According to him, the scale of participation in the genocide made it clear that the conventional judicial system alone would not be capable of handling the caseload within a reasonable period.

He explained that the idea drew inspiration from Rwanda's traditional community-based dispute resolution system. Although the proposal initially faced opposition from legal experts who questioned whether genocide cases could be handled through such a mechanism, further research and national consultations eventually led to its adoption through the National Dialogue Council.

Rwanda's Gacaca courts operated for a decade before closing on June 18, 2012. During that period, they handled approximately 1.9 million genocide-related cases, significantly accelerating the delivery of justice while complementing the country's broader reconciliation process.