The Democratic Republic of the Congo: An Elusive Peace

Abstract

Stearns provides an overview of the Congolese conflict since 1996 and examines the current situation. He argues that the peace process has actually been remarkably successful at reuniting the country and forging a political settlement among belligerents, but that it has been much less successful at reforming state institutions and holding political elites accountable. This pertains in particular to the eastern Congo, where the government has been more interested in using the army as a means of distributing patronage, even when this means fuelling violence, than as a tool to impose order. The political crisis sparked by President Laurent Kabila’s reluctance to step down could be a watershed moment for accountability, as it could allow for a sanctioning of political elites by the population.