Rapport

Land Rights and Land Conflicts in Africa

A policy study carried out for the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and coordinated by DIIS - Danish Institute for International Studies

The results of the study are presented in the belowfour reports.
The Terms of Reference of the study are included in the Tanzania report.
The reports are only online available.
The reports are for free download.

June2006 Thereport is based on experiences gained by the three authors through previous research activities and assignments in different parts of Africa and reading of existing literature. It identifies and discusses what is seen as being the most important issues in the ongoing debate about African land rights and land conflicts. It also presents and discusses various policy approaches being adopted on the continent to solve land tenure problems and related conflicts.

Land Rights and Land Conflicts in Africa: The Benin case
Pierre-Yves Le Meur
October 2006
Thereportexposes the approach and methods underlying the study and givesconceptual clarifications. It presents the legal framework and the historical context, as far as political economy and identity politics are concerned. Thebulk of thereportis devoted to the analysis of significant case studies: on boundary conflicts linked to decentralisation and development programmes, the conservation issue, autochthons/migrants relations, the “youth factor”.A final section outlines policy orientations.
Pierre-Yves Le Meur
Octobre 2006

Le rapport présente l'approche et les méthodes sur lesquelles se fonde cette étude, ainsi que les éclairages conceptuels nécessaires. Il présente ensuite le cadre juridique et retrace brièvement le contexte historique, en particulier en rapport avec les enjeux de l'économie politique et des politiques identitaires. La plupart du rapport est consacré à l'analyse d'études de cas significatives: sur les conflits de frontières liés à la décentralisation et aux programmes de développement, la préservation de l'environnement, les relations autochtones/migrants, le 'facteur jeunes'. Une dernière partie traitera des orientations politiques, sur la base d'expériences et d’interventions actuelles, de manière à essayer d'éviter de réinventer la roue, un réflexe malheureusement répandu dans le champ des politiques de développement.

Rie Odgaard
November2006
The issues identified in this report as being of major importance in relation to the land rights and land conflict situation in Tanzania are: Questions related to governance; contradictions and lack of harmonisation between recent laws and policies in Tanzania; the existing power relations (including gender relations);and present development priorities.The report makes itclear that dealing with land matters is in essence political and presents a series of recommendations for interventions in the field of land rights.
This report includes the Terms of Reference of the overall study.
Land rights and land conflicts in Africa
a review of issues and experiences