The Meaning of Conflict Resolution Programming in Rwanda

I’m writing this week from Rwanda, where I’m working on our Civil Society Strengthening Project. Although the project is not specifically focused on conflict, working with our staff and meeting with many Rwandans has given me the opportunity to think about the different ways we describe conflict programming – and how all of them are insufficient.

From a traditional perspective, you could call conflict programming in Rwanda conflict resolution, conflict transformation, post-conflict peacebuilding – yet none of these terms seem to really fit the Rwandan context. 16 years after the genocide, Rwanda looks and functions like a “normal” country. The government is not only functioning but also provides extensive services for its people. In the capital, Kigali, the roads are often paved, and cars and buses get around the city without problems. Businesses operate, NGOs function, people have general access to electricity, running water, and health care.

Yet the memory of the genocide hasn’t disappeared, and tensions linger among various Rwandan communities. Many people fear a return to violence and have prepared “exit plans” for if a genocide reoccurs.

In this sense, I could classify programming in Rwanda as “conflict prevention.” Our project here aims to empower civil society to better represent the people of Rwanda in advocating to the government; it is efforts like these and many more which will have to give voice to these tensions so as to avoid a resurgence of violence. Conflict prevention requires action across all sectors, cooperation among all partners, and the involvement of all Rwandans.

In general, I feel that all these terms miss the mark. In reality, any programs in countries that are recovering from conflict or where there is the potential for conflict must be aware of these tensions and adjust program activities accordingly. So yes – IREX does conflict resolution, and conflict mitigation, and peacebuilding, and conflict prevention. But good programs in conflict-affected countries do a little bit of everything.

Katie Sheketoff is a Program Officer at IREX.

Photo by Neil Palmer (CIAT). Portrait of a child from Ruhengeri, northwestern Rwanda