Evaluating land conflicts in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo : a case study of Bukavu City

Abstract

The efforts from the government and Non-Government Organisations withstanding, land conflicts in Bukavu remain a pressing issue in Bukavu. Land conflicts are associated with adverse effects such as deprivation of livelihood and wellbeing. As such, there is a need to develop effective conflict management strategies, and this depends on field-based evidence to achieve success. This study was therefore set out to evaluate land conflicts in the Eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo with four specific objectives (i) identifying the nature of land conflict in Bukavu city, (ii) exploring the causes of the land conflicts persistence, (iii) assessing the impact of the land conflict’s interventions, and (iv) resolutions to the land conflicts. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey with both qualitative and quantitative data collection approaches. A survey covered 120 Bukavu Respondents and other study participants included Cadastre officials, Life and Peace Institute (LPI) officials, and APC (Action pour la Paix et la Concorde) officials. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and interview guides administered to informant interviews. The study found the prevalence of land conflicts at a violent level and low level. The conflicts are between individuals such as neighbours, and cultural groups, and between individuals and the government. The study revealed corruption in land management, natural calamities, limited sources of livelihood, Congo wars, ethnic belonging/ ethnic divisionism, desire to get an identity, and lack of ineffective land governance system and frameworks as the core causes of the persistent land conflict. The study found a wide range of interventions being implemented to address land conflicts; however, these have had a minimal significant impact on land conflict resolution. Lastly, the study identified strengthening local conflict resolution mechanisms, supporting the population to obtain a land document from the cadastre, establishing genuine land governance reforms, and sensitizing the community about their land rights and consequences of land conflicts as some of the resolutions to the conflicts. The study, therefore, recommends the need for urgent measures to address the root causes of the violent land conflicts in Bukavu and these include strengthening land administration institutions, and mass media communication to inform, educate, and communicate the land governance system and address the issue of corruption in land management.