14 December 2023
As the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) gears up for general elections on 20 December 2023, victims of decades of violence are still awaiting justice. In the country’s eastern provinces, conflict has once again broken out–forcing nearly 7 million people to flee their homes since 2022. Amid violence, insecurity, and inter-community conflicts, we’re working with partners Africa Reconciled and Réseau des Associations Congolaises des Jeunes (Network of Congolese Youth Associations – RACOJ) to enable victims to demand their rights and participate in justice processes.
Low victim participation in transitional justice policy
In February 2023, the government adopted the report of a scientific committee, established by the Ministry of Human Rights with UN support, to analyse options for transitional justice in the DRC. Annexed to the report was a draft national transitional justice policy. Ten months later, the policy has yet to be formally implemented.
From the outset, the policy development process was flawed, being drafted based on consultations in just eight out of 25 provinces.The population in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri–three provinces most affected by violence–was not part of the process. In parallel, the President supported a controversial reparations law and the establishment of a reparations fund in May 2023. Victims were once again left without any meaningful say in the process.
Faced with national processes and policies leaving victims behind, we have been supporting eight victim groups in the Kivus since 2020 to organise and articulate their justice demands. The groups are now coming together in coalitions to strategise and develop common advocacy efforts to raise their collective demands with provincial and national policymakers.
Building coalitions to put victims’ demands front and centre
We organised a series of coalition-building workshops in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri in November 2023 in collaboration with partners on the Just Future programme.
The participating victim groups proclaimed the importance of coalition-building for making their voices heard. A victim representative from Ituri declared:
“Working in synergy will help us to make our voice as victims heard even louder through the advocacy strategies we put in place, because the voice of many is stronger than the voice of one person shouting out individually.”
Representatives highlighted the role of national and international partners, particularly the need for sustained support once coalitions have been formed:
“We, the victims, are weak in designing advocacy strategies. This coalition is like a baby that has just been born and cannot do anything on its own. It therefore needs support so that it grows up, for fear of dying right after birth.” –Victim representative, South Kivu
For all of the represented groups, truth-seeking was identified as a priority area for their advocacy. As one participant in Ituri expressed:
“Without the truth there can be no healing and no peaceful cohabitation. Up to now, members of different communities in Ituri province have been treating each other as enemies, accusing each other of having committed crimes.”
Reparations was consistently raised as another key issue that their coalitions would seek to claim through joint advocacy initiatives. Recognising the limitations of the national reparations policy, but also the importance of their rights to redress, the coalitions put forward a number of clear demands.
“As victims, we are calling for an acceleration of the implementation of the national policy on reparations for victims in all areas where atrocities took place. Despite the existence of certain reparation initiatives, few of us are the ones who benefit from them.” –Victim representative, North Kivu
As the latter quote demonstrates, with the space to refine their claims and work together, victims articulate clear policy demands connecting the realities of their conflict experiences with national policy processes and their rights to truth, justice, reparations, and non-repetition.
Coalitions of victims working in unison in the DRC is a way to guarantee more meaningful victim participation in the country’s transitional justice processes. But victim coalitions request support for this endeavour, especially as their increased prominence inevitably shines light on entrenched negative interests and shortcomings in political will to uproot systemic injustices fuelling continued violence in the DRC.
Explore: Our work in the DRC