During the last five years, several quantitative surveys have been published about the
work of the judiciary in post-war Burundi. The article compiles the most important findings. It
specifies the types of conflicts brought before the courts, the popular perception of the legal
system, court performances, judicial workload and speed of judicial proceedings. By
commenting on these data, the article stresses that state tribunals are mainly active in the fields of
customary land law and family disputes, although judges are not trained in these domains. The
vast majority of Burundians perceive judges as being corrupt and legal procedures as being
disconnected from popular expectations, which shows the need for a reform of competences,
training and supervision of Burundi’s magistrates. Interestingly, the number of cases filed in
court is growing steadily; also, the Burundian court system remains affordable and easily
accessible, and judgments are usually rendered within a reasonable time. The numerous local
courts could therefore potentially play an important role for national conciliation and land tenure
security in a conflict-ridden and conflict-prone country.