The intended outcome of the Locally-led Peace program in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a reduction of armed conflict resulting in inter-community peace in South Kivu. In pursuit of this outcome, this program has four measurable sub-outcomes:
1. Measured reduction in intercommunity armed violence and an increase in intercommunity
2. Measured reduction in violence against civilians and increasing security and freedom of opportunity
3. Demobilization and community reintegration of armed group members*
4. Sustained peacebuilding through consistent engagement and follow-up
*89 armed groups are engaged in the peace process
Guiding Principles
Our process, implemented by the Carter School in partnership with AJDC, was formed around lessons learned and persistent challenges evident after the failure of the first Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration attempts. It centered around the need for reorienting DDR processes toward bottom-up, community- centered programming instead of the typical top-down approach. However, the inclusion of the government in the processes was and is still vital to the approach and has contributed to its permissions and propagation.
At present, the government, including the P-DDRCS, has fostered a partnership with our process and the results have seen both AJDC and the DRC government working together at every phase of the program. The goal was to listen as much as possible to members from all sectors of society to plan a comprehensive approach to peace and reintegration of fighters. This included politicians, traditional leaders, community members, women, armed group members and leaders, former armed group members, religious leaders, youth, elders, military, police, intelligence, immigration officials, scholars, the media, and many others.
Key Personnel
Dr. Charles Davidson
Director
Dr. Hogai Aryoubi
Postdoctoral Researcher