Addressing the causes and consequences of conflict : the promise of peacebuilding actors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been plagued with conflict as a result of an extensive history of political instability. As a result, many actors have attempted to respond to the conflict by engaging in various peacebuilding efforts. These actors have included the state, the international community, and local civil society. Understanding how these actors have attempted to build peace requires a thorough analysis of the areas in which they can address conflict. For the purposes of analysis, these areas can be placed in two categories: the causes and consequences of conflict. The causes of conflict include actors and perpetuators such as ethnic tension, the state, rebel groups, and neighbouring countries. The consequences of conflict include the displacement of people, child exploitation, and gender-based violence. In order to offer an analysis of the capacity of peacebuilding actors to address the causes and consequences of conflict, I will explore the ability or inability of each actor. This includes how actors can restrict the ability of others, as well as how they may limit their own ability. Doing this will expose the promise that each actor has to contribute to peacebuilding. In the case of this essay, the actor that has the most promise for peacebuilding is civil society.