Kasai: Revitalising consultative commissions to reduce customary conflicts.

In 2017, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) established the Consultative Commission for the resolution of customary conflicts (CCRCC) through the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Security, and Customary Affairs. Despite its intentions, the commission has not been as effective as hoped, particularly in the Kasai region. One of the main issues is the resistance of traditional leaders to decisions made by the committees, which has led to a lack of cooperation and progress. Additionally, political interference has further complicated matters, making it difficult for the commission to function as intended.

The provincial government of Kasai has made a noteworthy commitment to support the CCRCC. This decision was reached during a recent workshop held in Tshikapa, the capital of Kasai situated in the western region of the DRC. The workshop was attended by around 40 participants, including traditional chiefs and community leaders from all territories in Kasai.

The initiative is spearheaded by Action for Peace and Concord (APC) and Interpeace, in partnership with Kasai’s provincial authorities. This effort is a crucial component of the project aimed at enhancing inclusive governance for peace in the DRC, which is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

The primary objective of the meeting was to update the list of CCRCC members in the territories of Mweka, Tshikapa, and the administrative divisions incorporated in the city. In addition, the gathering facilitated the establishment of a provincial committee and the definition of strategies to effectively operationalise the plan in all relevant entities. The meeting also served as an opportunity to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the CCRCCs' strengths and weaknesses and identify priority activities.

One of the proposed activities is the revitalisation and establishment of CCRCC committees in all sectors, chiefdoms, and the town of Tshikapa. This initiative will receive technical and financial support from APC and Interpeace. The primary focus will be to enhance the knowledge and capacity of committee members in customary law, conflict resolution techniques, land law, and securing rural land. Additionally, it is crucial to promote the ministerial decree that created the CCRCCs and other related legal instruments through traditional media and popular meetings.

In a final communiqué issued at the conclusion of the workshop, traditional leaders and government officials pledged to revitalize the CCRCCs to mitigate the impact of customary conflicts. The deputy governor of the province, Gaston Nkole Tshimaunga, also confirmed the unwavering support of the provincial government in the implementation of all proposed activities. The success of these peacebuilding efforts hinges on the commitment and collaboration of all stakeholders involved. By working together, we can create a safer and more stable future for the people of Kasai.

Mind the Peace: Why an integrated approach to MHPSS, peacebuilding and livelihood development is urgently needed

International Women’s Day 2023

Students in the DRC meet with officials and community leaders to discuss ways to solve the crisis in Ituri

The youth have a role to play in achieving lasting peace in the province of Ituri, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). To strengthen collaboration with the authorities, students met with Bunia leaders and an advisor to the governor on 27 January 2023 at a public forum hosted at the University of Bunia. At the invitation of the consortium comprised of Interpeace, Action for Peace and Concord (APC), the Pole Institute, and the Center for International Cooperation at New York University, peace issues and challenges for youth involvement were put on the table in a no-holds-barred discussion.

Students were encouraged to openly share their views in order to appropriately explore conflict concerns. In response to issues discussed, Irene Vahweka, the governor's advisor for youth issues, explained  how including the youth in discussion pertaining to the country’s current volatile situation could be a chance to bring peace to the region. For her, the issue of resilience and peace in Ituri primarily involves the involvement of the youth.

According to Ms. Vahweka, the current approach of the provincial governor, in collaboration with other key stakeholders, to establish frameworks for inter- and intra-community dialogue should facilitate peacebuilding by providing a platform for constructive discussions. By fostering open dialogue between and within communities, the governor's initiative is likely to prove invaluable in preventing the escalation of tensions.

"You must not cross your arms; you must sensitise other young people to the volatility being experienced and let them be involved in peacebuilding dialogues because its success will allow the development of Ituri," she said.

This public meeting allowed several young people to express themselves freely before the authorities. For Daniel Ambunga, this format must be repeated regularly to encourage young people to denounce what is not working in the region.

"This province is still young. It has four major ethnic groups. With conflicts, we won't get anywhere. Back home, people are being killed every day. Spaces like this allow us to present the situation of our environment, where rebels circulate freely. We, the youth, are capable and our contribution is to be able to express ourselves through such meetings," says this student.

The public forum offered a platform for several young people to express themselves freely before their community leaders and authorities. Daniel Ambunga, a student at the university, believes that this dialogue forum should be perennial to encourage young people to speak out about the issues affecting the region and have their voices heard.

“This province is still relatively young, with four major ethnic groups. Without resolving conflicts, we will not be able to move forward. Back home, people are being killed every day. Spaces like this allow us to present the situation of our environment, where rebels circulate freely. We, the youth, are capable and our contribution is to be able to express ourselves through such meetings,” the student declared.

Like him, Emérence, a student at the same university, expressed her satisfaction with the answers given to her various questions related to community disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration process (CDRP) and its level of progress. However, she called for decisive action in dealing with conflict-related issues.

Among the participants was the president of the Provincial Youth Council, Gentil Kaniki, who asked the authorities to always involve young people in the peace process and welcomed the establishment of open platforms for discussion.

"It is a means that allows young people to present the real problem and challenges in order to propose solutions in complicity with the various stakeholders," he explains. He stated that in order to strengthen the connection between the youth and the authorities, such initiatives should be extended to the province's interior.

This forum for public dialogue is part of the programme, funded by the European Union, to support mediation for resilience and peace in Ituri and Greater North Kivu.

Voices from Mandera: Stories of hope and peace from the Mandera County in Kenya

The people in the Mandera County in Kenya have experienced their fair share of conflict and violence in the past decade. Nestled in Kenya’s north-eastern corner, bordering Somalia and Ethiopia, the county has been plagued by killing, livestock raids, cross border attacks and retaliation, played out among large pastoralist clans.

In this region, villages are scattered across land divided by ethnic groupings and  some designated  colonial borders, seemingly arbitrary lines across which people and animals regularly roam in search of grazing pastures. Histories of violence blanket the region whose nomadic practice have always disregarded borders that obstruct their wandering way of life.

Exacerbated by the scarcity of resources and the neglect to improve public services and infrastructure, inter-clan violence plagued the county, further reinforcing the vicious cycle of suffering and instability. In particular, the conflict between the Garre and Degodia clans of 2010-2015 has since led to the displacement of more than 18,000 households and the deaths of more than 70 people. Pockets of internally displaced persons still live in the county awaiting resettlement.

However, in 2020, leaders from Garre and Degodia clans committed to end hostilities, enshrined in the signature of the Banissa peace declaration which led to the immediate cessation of hostilities and reduction in criminal activities such as raids and property damage, which led to much lower levels of internal displacement.

Facilitated by Interpeace and its local partner the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), the declaration was the fruit of the dialogues of local leaders themselves which reflected a cross-clan desire for peace. Reinforced by the creation of the Ceasefire Monitoring Committees (CMCs), the declaration is still in effect and is being respected, but the efforts towards reconciliation and strengthening social cohesion continue to this day.

Creating lasting peace in the region does not end with the signature of one agreement. Interclan conflicts still plague the region, yet the work of Interpeace and its partners continue, building on what has been learned in the years of community engagement and consultations in the county.

Resolving resource disputes between the Degodia and Garre clans – inspiration for other models

Between 2010 and 2020, movement of people and livestock between the villages of Domal-Choroqo, Banisa-Guba , Malkamari-Eymole, Boqonsar-Handrak, Malkaruqa-Ardagarbicha was heavily restricted due to fear of attacks and theft. Inhabited by the opposing Garre and Degodia clans, members of these villages have for years battled over the scarce resources of the area – issues of land ownership as well as grazing rights were exacerbated by political conflict. These 5 villages are located in the buffer zones of the two clans and have suffered most from the effects of the vicious cycles of violence.

Interpeace and its partner NCIC mobilized community members to participate in dialogue meetings, acting as mediators among elders, local administrators, youth and women from the 5 villages. Interpeace and NCIC created inter-village dialogue spaces, where members from different sides of the conflict came together to develop solutions to preventing and mitigating inter-clan escalations.  Taking up the role of mediators, Interpeace and NCIC held dialogues among the different constituencies, recognising that these villages, while at the buffer zone that delineates clan divides, are also the frontliners to ensure peace and dialogue between the clans.

In March 2020, 5 intervillage pacts were agreed by members of the Garre and Degodia clans,  including the sharing of water and pasture between the towns. Since the signature of the pacts, the clans agreed to share their resources and resolve disputes peacefully.

The intervillage dialogues carried out in this conflict has been the model Interpeace and NCIC have been using to provide peaceful approaches to long-standing interclan conflicts in Mandera and the North Rift of Kenya. This dialogue model has also spread to Ethiopia, opening up relations across the Kenyan-Ethiopian border which has led to safe cross border movement of people, trade and livestock in search of water and pasture.

Dialogue and reconciliation between the Murulle and Garre clans

In addition to conflicts that arrive from resource disputes, Mandera also experiences conflicts that arise from border disputes among different clans and villages. One such case was seen between the Murulle and Garre clans, located close to Somalia,  whose inter-clan border disputes continued to ensue despite accords that were not respected by both sides in the past decade. Ceasefire attempts have been made since 2000, but the conflict has continued to escalate which has led to death and destruction to both clans for the past two decades.

Interpeace,NCIC and the Mandera county government first examined the reasons behind the violence despite previous accords, and after consultations with members from both clans, it was clear that the deadlocks were caused by lack of representation and influence of both clans in the mediation process. Preceding peace processes provided very little roles for both clans in the judgement and creation of the accords, which has led to the communities to return to violent solutions to resource disputes.

On the request of the conflicting communities,  Interpeace and NCIC brought an external arbiter whom the two clans trusted. other  intergovernmental agencies – the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Land, Survey of Kenya, National Land Commission (NLC), National Steering Committee on Peacebuilding (NSC) and the Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission were brought on board– to the negotiation table to arrive at a sustainable solution to this deadly stalemate. The process led to two clear verdicts, co-designed and agreed upon by the conflicting groups: (1) the immediate cessation of hostilities and directives for reparation to be led by the local peace infrastructure and (2) that the border dispute will fall under the government who will delineate the disputed territory.

On February 8 2021, the political class, elders, religious leaders, civil society members and members of security team witnessed the signing of the Sheikh Umal II peace accord between the Murulle and Garre clans at the County headquarters’ hall.

The accord led to compensation of destroyed and vandalized properties during the conflict. It was also during this accord that the government was tasked with delimitation of the contested boundary to bring permanent solution to the conflict, which has also opened opportunities for collaboration and restoring trust between the clans and the local government. The process of intergovernmental agencies to demarcate the border is ongoing.

Interpeace would like to thank the Government of Germany, the United Kingdom, the European Union in Kenya, and the Swiss Embassy in Kenya for their support in creating spaces for peace in Mandera County and other Interpeace programme areas in Kenya. Interpeace is also grateful to its local partners, NCIC, the Mandera County, as well as the Frontiers Counties Development Council ( FCDC) for their crucial contributions to these community-led peace efforts.

Interpeace statement on the attack on Ukraine

The ongoing incursion into Ukraine by Russian military forces is both shocking and heartbreaking. It constitutes an alarming violation of international law that needlessly places the lives of millions of civilians at risk.

Interpeace is all too aware of the devastating cost of conflict, and we join Ukrainians, and citizens the world over, in calling for an end to the violence. Dialogue and understanding are the only routes to resolving the fears, tensions and grievances that are fuelling this crisis.

Interpeace joins the international community in unequivocally condemning these attacks and in calling for the restoration and preservation of a rules-based international system. We urge all the parties to return to the dialogue table and pave the way towards an inclusive and lasting peace.