In the aftermath of the 1994 war and genocide in Rwanda, it was not possible, with the classic judicial system to judge all genocide cases in a reasonable time frame and reconcile the people. The Gacaca Jurisdiction and the Committees of the Conciliators were created in 2002 and 2004 respectively, in order to reduce the burden of the classic judiciary. The classic judiciary handles cases that don’t fall under the responsibilities of the former ones.  

Whereas the Gacaca Jurisdictions handles crimes and/or massacres and other crimes committed during the 1990-94 war and genocide, the Committees of the Conciliators deal with civil business or tangible goods/land located in a cell. This Committee is operational in every administrative cell of the country. It is in charge of providing a framework for obligatory reconciliation before the case is transfered to the jurisdictions of the first degree for civil or penal business provided by the law. The Executive Secretary is de facto the Secretary of the Committee of the Conciliators. 

The Gacaca Jurisdictions are based on the gathering of the genocide events, establishment of the truth in the preparation and the execution of genocide, identification of individual responsibility of the authors, co-authors and accomplices of the genocide as well as on confession, guilty pleading and repentance, with the objective of reconciliation. Information on crimes and massacres committed during the genocide having been assembled in 2005, Gacaca Jurisdictions tried to classify presumed guilty in different categories and during the year 2006, they judged people falling in the categories of their competence. On 30/06/2006, sentences were made for 7,015 people.

In 2006, several laws have been prepared or modified in the move to improve services rendered to the population in the domain of justice. Those laws are: 

the organic law n° 31/2006 of the 14/08/2006 governing organization, circumscription, competence and functioning of the committee of the conciliators;

  
the law n°28/2006 of the 27/08/2006 modifying and completing the law n° 16/2004 of the 19/08 2004 governing organization, competence and functioning of the Gacaca Jurisdictions. 

Local Administration, Good Governance and Consolidation of National Unity.

Any democratic country respectful of the principles of good governance, must work for the people's social cohesion. Since 1999, Rwanda initiated the process of national reconciliation by creating officially the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC). This Commission is charged mainly of:

 Central good governance operations in Rwanda