The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

The DRC gained its independence from Belgium in 1960. Ever since, the country experienced civil wars, a dictatorial regime and localised conflicts that have left the socio-economic and security fabric destroyed.

Congolese politician and military officer Mobutu Sese Seko took power in a military coup and ruled the country for nearly 32 years. During his rule, the economy crumbled and public services almost completely disappeared. Prior to his removal from power, ethnic tensions increased and turned violent in eastern DRC, preluding the armed conflicts in 1993.

The aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide exacerbated the situation, and saw huge numbers of refugees flee to eastern DRC, including former Rwandan military and Interahamwe militia. In 1996 and 1998 wars broke out in DRC, backed by Rwanda and Uganda, and thousands of people lost their lives.

Peace agreements signed in 2002 and 2003 helped put an end to the violence and somewhat reunited the country. Among others, the 2003 agreement contains provisions on transitional justice, in particular a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and a special criminal court. The TRC was put in place between 2003 and 2006, but failed to accomplish its mission for various reasons.

To date, despite a small number of judicial processes, redress for victims of conflict remains elusive, with violence and political instability still a daily reality in the country’s eastern provinces.

Failure to effectively implement transitional justice has contributed to an enduring deeply-entrenched culture of impunity and mistrust between different ethnic and tribal communities – especially in the country’s eastern provinces.

In this context, victims and civil society have more trust in informal justice methods, which can better address their needs and provide a model for justice with roots in the communities.