Warfare and the nature of conflict have substantially changed over the last 40 years. Yet, the procedures and content of peace agreements have not evolved with this change. Traditional peace agreements do not take into account the full local and external context of the conflict and view themselves as a process that happens in parallel to conflict, instead of being intertwined with it. This research examines how peace arrangements in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are created and operationalised by the different actors involved in the peace arrangement process. The research specifically uses the term peace arrangement instead of agreement because peace arrangement allows us to develop and apply the analysis in a more inclusive way that is more reflective of the reality in the Eastern DRC. Through conducting field interviews, we will be able to determine how peace arrangements are understood and operationalised within the local contexts, how peace arrangements reflect the power dynamics on-the-ground, and how those power dynamics are linked to and influenced by gender.
- Funding: FWO, Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek – Vlaanderen
- Time: 2022-2026
- People involved: Natalie Domaas, researcher, Koen Vlassenroot, supervisor, Maria Martin de Almagro Iniesta, co-supervisor