ABSTRACT
This research paper , explore the possible relationship between Organic law and social cohesion in post conflict Burundi and Rwanda between the Hutus and Tutsi ethnic groups.The study affirms that IF Organic law is designed and implemented to curb social exclusion and discrimination, Then Social cohesion will increase because the roots causes of the previous conflict has been taken into consideration.
Rwanda and Burundi were faced with one of the most devastated ethnic conflict in the 90s between the Hutus and the Tutsis. Although they were underpinned by the same circumstances, the resilience of Rwanda within the last 20 years is beyond imagination. While the developmental indicators of Rwanda has greatly improved ,Burundi still lament among the poorest and most fragile country in the world. This study there fore hypothesize that organic Law has foster social cohesion in Rwanda which gives her an urge over Burundi whose designated laws failed to prioritize the root causes of the previous conflict.
In the verge of pursuing the findings,this study used indicators of social cohesion as postulated in the work of Jane Jenson (1998) to measure the level of social cohesion between the Hutus and the Tutsis in both countries. It was evident that Rwanda is doing better than Burundi who is almost trapped at the same spot after 1993 conflict. Based on the Theory of change,the study confirms that the successes of Rwanda stems from the designing and implementation of her organic law which created independent institutions such as the traditional Gacaca court system which was responsible for the trial,reconciliation and rehabilitation of the perpetrators of the genocide.In addition,the existence of the National Unity and reconciliation commission was also formidable in transforming the behaviors and attitude of Rwandans there by formulating a high level of vertical and bridging social capital which are elements of social cohesion.
In contrast, Burundi failed to established a transitional court to trial perpetrators. Although the Organic law of Burundi created the national unity and reconciliation council,her operation is passive as compared to that of Rwanda who went as far as creating re-conciliatory villages for perpetrators and victims to stay side by side. As a result of this,there exist a wider gap between vertical and bridging social capital in Burundi which is detrimental for national cohesion. At the time of this writing, Rwanda occupies the 151 spot in the human development index report of 2014 while Burundi is humbled with position number 180, leaving her among the first four poorest countries in the world and one of the most fragile in Africa.
Key words: Organic law,Social Cohesion,Social inclusion,Social Exclusion, Social Capital