Local mediators, leaders and members of the civil society in Musanze District are undergoing a three-day training in solving land disputes in their respective areas. The training, taking place in Musanze District, was organised by Rwanda Initiative for Sustainable Development (RISD). It kicked off on Monday. RISD is a local Non Governmental Organisation helping to solve conflicts in communities. The training brought together participants from five sectors of the district in which RISD operates namely: Muhoza, Cyuve,Rwaza, Kimonyi and Musanze. It aims at reducing community disputes, especially land related without recourse to courts, thus cutting costs and saving time, according to Annie Kayiraba, the RISD director general. Kayiraba said the training was a response to research that found out that there was need for various local actors to work together and abate conflicts in the community. “The research found that mediation institutions lacked time and capacity to analyse disputes, especially those related to land,” she said. Addressing these conflicts should start from the family to the neighbours before mediators could come in, she added. She said the mediators will be trained in land law, the famliy law and expropriation and other basic laws that deal with disputes. Participants hailed the training, saying it would enable them acquire skills to effectively play their roles. “As mediators we need continuous training to improve our skills,” Frodinata Musanabera, a community mediator in Cyuve Sector, said. “I am grateful for the training. Insufficient knowledge of the law has always been a challenge. I am optimistic this training will boost our service delivery,” said Thomas Nkundukozera, another trainee. Such training was also provided to mediators and local leaders in some sectors of Kamonyi District in Southern Province.
