Do Local Agreements Forge Peace? The Case of Eastern DRC
Local agreements have been used as an instrument to dismantle armed rebellions, to settle land conflicts and to deal with interpersonal feuds
Abstract
-
Local agreements in the eastern Congo have been used as an instrument to dismantle armed rebellions, to settle land conflicts and other forms of community disputes, and to deal with interpersonal feuds.
-
Due to mutual distrust between communities stemming from a long history of tensions and violence, and given the fragmentation of the approaches taken, mediation efforts and subsequent local agreements have had limited effect in tackling conflicts and violence and even seem to bypass them.
-
Given a context in which violence and conflict have become part of communities’ history and are fueled by a particularly unstable national and regional context, many dialogues and related agreements address the symptoms of conflicts rather than their causes and have limited impact on the behavior of actors of power.
-
The lessons learned from experienced Participatory Action Research (PAR) and dialogue programmes implemented by specialized organizations, the working of local structures set up by these organizations, and emerging mediation efforts and agreements may be useful in addressing the causes rather than the symptoms of conflict.
-
There is a need to move beyond a tendency towards formality as signed agreements are seen as a measure of success, instead of being considered as a tool for a longer process towards forthcoming ‘real dialogue’ on specific issues raised during the PAR’s round tables.
-
Donors should encourage and finance long-term peace programmes and subsequent ‘dialogues’ addressing conflict dynamics and involving key actors from the grassroots to the highest level. This approach should include PAR and analysis components which might bring more knowledge to conflicts and help move beyond the simplistic narratives that are often used to fuel them.
This work is part of the Conflict Research Programme managed by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
Citation
C. I. Wakenge and K. Vlassenroot, “Do Local Agreements Forge Peace? The Case of Eastern DRC,” Congo Research Briefs. 2020.