The Role of Reconciliation in Promoting Sustainable Peace Building in the Democratic Republic of Congo: A Case Study of the North Katanga Province

Abstract

This research investigates the role of reconciliation in promoting sustainable peacebuilding in the north Katanga province / DRC. Due to the intractable conflict in north Katanga province and human rights violations by the Mai-Mai militia for more than a decade, the DRC’s government initiated reconciliation process for re-building relationships among people and between the State and its citizens. A lot of Mai Mai fighters took arms against the government as a reaction to frustration due to the national army brutality and to the lack of fair allocation of province’s resources. The data for this research was collected using interviews and focus group discussions. Burton’s human needs theory was adopted to explain how and why Mai-Mai militias became violent or aggressive in regard to the government’s failure to fulfill their basic needs. Mai Mai’s frustration is a feeling of tension that occurred when their efforts to meet human needs are blocked. This study embraces the human needs theory that considers conflicts as the result of a process driven by unfulfilled needs and collective fears. As such, understanding the root causes of conflict and its psychological dimension is crucial for sustainable peace building. This study recommends that policy-makers should shape comprehensive and holistic method, seeking to address not only the manifestation of conflicts in the north Katanga but also the roots causes that drive it.