scholarly journals Relaciones internacionales y justicia transicional: memoria, jurisdicción universal y el caso Ruanda/RD Congo

2017 ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
Jordi Palou-Loverdos
Keyword(s):  
Transitional Justice ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Universal Jurisdiction ◽  
Dr Congo ◽  
Judicial Process ◽  
Human Right ◽  
The Past ◽  
Twentieth Anniversary

<p>In the twentieth anniversary of the Srebrenica and Kibeho massacres, both executed under the presence of UN blue helmets, its timely to approach judicial and non-judicial mechanisms of transitional justice been used to face human right abuses of the past. Human tragedies of Rwanda and the democratic Republic of Congo are still devastating despite of developed initiatives about truth, justice and reparation. dialogue processes and universal jurisdiction initiatives inspired by international civil society depict a window of hope. National and international impacts of the Rwanda-DR Congo case judicial process, as the effects of the cancellation of universal jurisdiction in Spain, after ten years of open judicial inquiry, are presented to invite to a critical reflection.</p><p><strong>Received</strong>: 25 July 2015<br /><strong>Accepted</strong>: 30 November 2015<br /><strong>Published online</strong>: 11 December 2017</p>

scholarly journals New political order in the DR Congo? the transformation of regulation

Afrika Focus ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 39-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koen Vlassenroot ◽  
Timothy Raeymaekers
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Typical Case ◽  
Political Transition ◽  
State Failure ◽  
Dr Congo ◽  
Long Period ◽  
The Past ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
Political Turmoil

It has been said repeatedly: the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) remains only a shadow of its former self, a typical case of state failure and collapse. Closer observation suggests a different image, however: not only has this country demonstrated “a remarkable propensity for resilience” (Englebert, 2003), its administration and regulatory frameworks – which in some domains have not changed since colonial times – have remained largely intact even during the latest period of war and political turmoil. In this article, we would like to explain these different “cross currents and contradictions” (Young, 2004) that emerged during the past Congolese war, addressing the question of whether processes of state erosion and political reconfiguration during this period should be described as a further “privatisation of the state”, as proposed by Hibou and others, or rather as a transformation or commodification of state sovereignty. The article is organized diachronically: it first discusses the Mobutu period (1965-1997), and then the war (1996-2003), to finally draw some conclusions from Congo’s long period of political “transition”.

scholarly journals New political order in the DR Congo? the transformation of regulation

Afrika Focus ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Koen Vlassenroot ◽  
Timothy Raeymaekers
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
State Regulation ◽  
Typical Case ◽  
State Failure ◽  
Dr Congo ◽  
Long Period ◽  
The Past ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
Political Turmoil

It has been said repeatedly: the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) remains only a shadow of its former self, a typical case of state failure and collapse. Closer observation suggests a different image, however: not only has this country demonstrated “a remarkable propensity for resilience” (Englebert, 2003), its administration and regulatory frameworks – which in some domains have not changed since colonial times – have remained largely intact even during the latest period of war and political turmoil. In this article, we would like to explain these different “cross currents and contradictions” (Young, 2004) that emerged during the past Congolese war, addressing the question of whether processes of state erosion and political reconfiguration during this period should be described as a further “privatisation of the state”, as proposed by Hibou and others, or rather as a transformation or commodification of state sovereignty. The article is organized diachronically: it first discusses the Mobutu period (1965-1997), and then the war (1996-2003), to finally draw some conclusions from Congo’s long period of political “transition”. Key words: Congo, conflict, non-state regulation, Armed groups 

scholarly journals Fit-for-Purpose Land Administration in Violent Conflict Settings

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 139
Author(s):  
Clarissa Augustinus ◽  
Ombretta Tempra
Keyword(s):  
Transitional Justice ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Violent Conflict ◽  
Peace Building ◽  
Land Administration ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Conflict Settings ◽  
Displaced People ◽  
Fit For Purpose

According to the United Nations (UN) Refugee Agency, there were 79.5 million forcibly displaced people worldwide by the end of 2019. Evictions from homes and land are often linked to protracted violent conflict. Land administration (LA) can be a small part of UN peace-building programs addressing these conflicts. Through the lens of the UN and seven country cases, the problem being addressed is: what are the key features of fit-for-purpose land administration (FFP LA) in violent conflict contexts? FFP LA involves the same LA elements found in conventional LA and FFP LA, and LA in post conflict contexts, as it supports peace building and conflict resolution. However, in the contexts being examined, FFP LA also has novel features as well, such as extra-legal transitional justice mechanisms to protect people and their land rights and to address historical injustices and the politics of exclusion that are the root causes of conflict. In addition, there are land governance and power relations’ implications, as FFP LA is part of larger UN peace-building programs. This impacts the FFP LA design. The cases discussed are from Darfur/Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Honduras, Iraq, Jubaland/Somalia, Peru and South Sudan.

BRINGING HISTORY BACK IN: PAST, PRESENT, AND CONFLICT IN RWANDA AND THE EASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

2017 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 465-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
GILLIAN MATHYS
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Historical Narratives ◽  
Republic Of Congo ◽  
Historical Discourse ◽  
The Past

AbstractThis article argues that on the borderland between eastern DRC and Rwanda, the past and its representations have been constantly manipulated. The cataclysmic events in both Rwanda and Congo since the 1990s have widened the gap between partial and politicized historical discourse and careful historical analysis. The failure to pay attention to the multiple layers in the production of historical narratives risks reproducing a politicized social present that ‘naturalizes’ differences and antagonisms between different groups by giving them more time-depth. This is a danger both for insiders and outsiders looking in. The answer is to focus on the historical trajectories that shape historical narratives, and to ‘bring history back in’.

scholarly journals Navigating social spaces: armed mobilization and circular return in Eastern DR Congo

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koen Vlassenroot ◽  
Emery Mudinga ◽  
Josaphat Musamba
Keyword(s):  
Social Mobility ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Armed Groups ◽  
Social Spaces ◽  
Dr Congo ◽  
Republic Of Congo ◽  
Refugee Studies ◽  
The Social ◽  
Pendular State

Abstract This article discusses the social mobility of combatants and introduces the notion of circular return to explain their pendular state of movement between civilian and combatant life. This phenomenon is widely observed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where Congolese youth have been going in and out of armed groups for several decades now. While the notion of circular return has its origins in migration and refugee studies, we show that it also serves as a useful lens to understand the navigation capacity between different social spaces of combatants and to describe and understand processes of incessant armed mobilization and demobilization. In conceptualizing these processes as forms of circular return, we want to move beyond the remobilization discourse, which is too often connected to an assumed failure of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration processes. We argue that this discourse tends to ignore combatants’ agency and larger processes of socialization and social rupture as part of armed mobilization.

scholarly journals “Prétendre comme si on connaît pas une autre langue que le swahili”: Multilingual parents in Norway on change and continuity in their family language policies

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (255) ◽  
pp. 109-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Purkarthofer ◽  
Guri Bordal Steien
Keyword(s):  
Family Life ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Language Policies ◽  
Republic Of Congo ◽  
Changing Environments ◽  
The Past ◽  
Family Language

Abstract In this article, we examine how parents explain their choices of transmitting certain languages to their children, a key element of family language policies (FLP), in light of their dynamic linguistic repertoires and biographic experiences. Contributing to the framework of FLP, we focus in particular on parents’ memories, their narratives of multilingual upbringing in the past, and how these are used to construct present FLP. We analyze conversations where six multilingual parents in Norway talk about their experiences and intentions regarding FLP, and in particular, their reasons for the transmission of (some of their) languages to their children. The parents of three of the families are from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and in three others at least one of the parents migrated from Germany. We find that the parents align their decisions with both prior and new experiences. They relate to their language(s), their past and their current family life, and express the wish for continuity across the lifespan. At the same time, they demonstrate a certain flexibility and willingness to adapt to the constantly changing environments that they and their children experience and in which they navigate. Through their complex accounts, their memories and lived language experiences, we can understand parents’ manifold positions as regards their children’s linguistic repertoires.

scholarly journals A trans-scalar approach to peacebuilding and transitional justice: Insights from the Democratic Republic of Congo

2021 ◽  
pp. 001083672110594
Author(s):  
Sara Hellmüller
Keyword(s):  
Transitional Justice ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Republic Of Congo ◽  
Peace Research ◽  
Local Point ◽  
Justice Process ◽  
Theoretical Foundations

Peace research has taken a local turn. Yet, conceptual ambiguities, risks of romanticization, and critiques of co-option of the “local” point to the need to look for novel ways to think about the interactions of actors ranging from the global to the local level. Gearoid Millar proposes a trans-scalar approach to peace based on a “consistency of purpose” and a “parity of esteem” for actors across scales. This article analyzes the concept of trans-scalarity in the peace process in Ituri, a province in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Drawing on qualitative data from more than a year of research in the DRC, I argue that while a trans-scalar approach was taken to end violence, it was not applied to transitional justice initiatives. The result was a negative, rather than a positive peace. By showing the high, but still untapped, potential of trans-scalarity, the article makes three contributions. First, it advances the debate on the local turn by adding empirical insights on trans-scalarity and further developing the concept’s theoretical foundations. Second, it provides novel empirical insights on the transitional justice process in the DRC. Third, it links scholarship on peacebuilding and transitional justice, which have often remained disconnected.

scholarly journals The Historical Taboo: Colonial Discourses and Postcolonial Identities in Belgium

Werkwinkel ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Bobineau
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Analysis ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Colonial History ◽  
Dr Congo ◽  
Republic Of Congo ◽  
Age Related ◽  
History Of ◽  
Sub Saharan

Abstract This article examines so-called colonial discourses in Belgium related to the former Sub-Saharan colony owned by Leopold II of Belgium which today is known as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) or the Congo-Kinshasa. Having introduced the colonial history of the DR Congo from the 15th century until 1910, the study starts with a discussion of Van den Braembussche’s concept of a ‘historical taboo’ and four ways of engaging with such implicit interdictions. Finally, an empirical analysis of colonial discourses in Belgium from the 1890s until today will be presented in conjunction with Belgium’s linguistic-cultural division, taking into account age-related divergence.

scholarly journals 12 hours (recurring): Working for Médecins Sans Frontières in the DR Congo

2011 ◽  
Vol 93 (10) ◽  
pp. 365-368
Author(s):  
Marc Bullock
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Dr Congo ◽  
Republic Of Congo ◽  
Medecins Sans Frontieres ◽  
Médecins Sans Frontières ◽  
Similar Experience ◽  
Professional Impact

Marc Bullock describes an intense six-week period that he spent as a surgeon attached to Médecins Sans Frontières in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The working environment and the exotic cases he encountered, partly a reflection on the violence that dominates the region, are bound to have had a profound personal and professional impact. I would imagine that this report will inspire some trainees to seek a similar experience.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document