Editor,

The new system of conflict resolution where mediators, most of whom are women, talk to warring parties and settle their disputes marks a milestone in improvements to our justice system. It closely resembles traditional justice systems like Gacaca or the Acholi traditional justice system called Mato Oput because it puts emphasis on reconciliation and not on retribution.

After Joseph Kony’s insurgencies in Northern Uganda, the remnants of the Lord’s Resistance Army were tried using the traditional system of Mato Oput and this helped to settle disputes in their region.

This system is conducive for the poor and illiterate people who do not have the means to file a good case in modern courts thus losing out on a case because they do not have the money to access a good lawyer or they may not even be able to interpret the laws of the country. That is why I commend the Rwandan government for thinking about its citizens.

Beatrice Uwamariya