Arène Foncière au Burundi: Mieux comprendre les rapports de force

Nyenyezi Bisoka, Aymar [UCL] Ansoms, An [UCL]

Drawing on three cases of land conflicts related to land monopolizing (grabbing) by political elites, we aim to understand the actors’ behaviour in Burundi’s land arena. The differences between formal theoretically applicable norms and the “real governance” in the settlement of land conflicts - arising from the land grabbing phenomenon in Burundi - are illustrated by emphasizing three points. (1) This “real governance” creates and selects its norms within a plurality of normative frameworks. (2) If this process of norm selection is defined by the interests of powerful players, their application results from the way in which power relations are structured as the conflict progresses. (3) This game is not perceptible through public speeches; one must penetrate the unofficial sphere to be able to perceive it. Sorting out what happens in this hidden sphere may also provide insights in how subordinate players could influence the course of events.