Community Awareness of the Right to Peace in Armed Conflicts in Eastern of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Drc)

ABSTRACT 

The study aimed to examine the level of "community awareness of the right to peace which exists in areas experiencing armed conflicts in eastern of the Democratic Republic of Congo". Since 1996, war started in Minembwe and spread the whole country. It included Angola, Zimbabwe and Namibia in the government's side and Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda to help rebels. The objectives include find out the existing knowledge of theory of peace in Africa and in eastern region of DRC, actors and violators of the right to peace have to be known. To know the negative consequences of the right to peace abuses, so to mitigate them requires establishing the role and responsibilities of the government in conflicts of many armed militia. The review of relevant literature is linked to theories of peace. Various human rights and freedoms have been often neglected, abused or violated, especially right to peace which is the comer-stone of all other human rights. The unpeaceful conditions of militarization and structural of violence deny many people, especially civilians several fundamental rights. The practical methodology used in this research, includes research design, study population, sample and sampling procedures, instrument, validity and reliability, data analysis and instrument guided by a questionnaire to get primary and secondary data and data analysis. The most important findings concerning the violations of the right to peace, in Eastern DRC include the violation of women's rights violation, education, life, food, employment, lack of decision-making, power to peace building. Human right violation is linked to poverty. Local people or politicians are used directly or indirectly by external or internal forces to support internal conflicts and wars. This situation seems to be quite difficult to stamp out totally and quickly, it takes time. In conclusion, the researcher found out that generally there was minimum knowledge of the right to peace by the majority of Community members of Eastern DRC.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE ............................................................................................. i

DECLARATION ...................................................................................................................... ii

APPROVAL ............................................................................................................................ iii

DEDICATION ......................................................................................................................... iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ........................................................................................................ v

TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................................... vi

LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................. x

LIST OF ACRONYMS .......................................................................................................... xi

ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................ xii

CHAPTER ONE ............................................................ ,. .......................................................... 1

INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1

1. 0 Overview ............................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Background ........................................................................................................................... 1

1.2 Statement of the problem ...................................................................................................... 5

1.3 Purposes of the research ........................................................................................................ 6

1.4 Objectives of the Study ......................................................................................................... 6

1.5 Research Questions .............................................................................................................. 6

1.6 Significance of the Study ...................................................................................................... 7

1. 7 Scope of the Study ............................................................................................................... 8

CHAPTER TWO .................................................................................................................... 10

LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................................... 10

2.0 Overview ............................................................................................................................. 10

2.1 Community awareness ........................................................................................................ 10

2.2 Theories of Peace ................................................................................................................ 11

2.2.1 Peace in Africa ................................................................................................................. 13

2.2.2 Peace in Eastern DRC ...................................................................................................... 14

2.3 Rights .................................................................................................................................. 16

2.4 Relevant Review ................................................................................................................. 18

2.5 Conceptual framework ........................................................................................................ 20

CHAPTER THREE ................................................................................................................ 22

METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................. 22

3.0 Overview ............................................................................................................................. 22

3.1 Research design .................................................................................................................. 22

3.2 Study population ................................................................................................................. 22

3.3 Sample and sampling procedure ......................................................................................... 24

3.4 Instruments .......................................................................................................................... 25

3. 5 Validity and reliability ....................................................................................................... 25

3.6 Procedure ............................................................................................................................ 25

3. 7 Data Analysis ...................................................................................................................... 26

3.8 Ethical consideration ........................................................................................................... 26

3.9 Limitations of the Study during data collection and analysis ............................................. 26

CHAPTER FO UR ................................................................................................................... 28

PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS ......................................................... 28

4.0 Overview ............................................................................................................................. 28

4.1 Profile ofRespondents ........................................................................................................ 28

4.2 Presentation offinding ....................................................................................................... .30

4.2 .1 The Community's participation in learning the right to peace ...................................... .30

4.2.2 People's participation in peace building and their awareness of the right to peace ........ 30

4.2.3 The role oflocal community in peace building and security ........................................ .31

4.2.3.1 Voluntary popular participation in the building of community awareness of the right to peace ...................................... .32

4.2.4 Linkage between peace violation and Poverty ................................................................. 33

4.2.5 Government's cooperation with local advocators of human right to protect security ..... 34

4.2.6 Problems to implement peace, security and development.. ............................................ .35

4.3 People's felt needs .............................................................................................................. 40

4.3 .1 People's views on the role of peace and security of their welfare .................................. .40

4.3.1.1 People's participation in Human Rights associations ................................................... 40

4.3.2 Actors of the Rights to Peace ........................................................................................... 41

4.3.3 The implication of the Central government in armed conflicts and wars ....................... .43

4.4 Human right advocators ...................................................................................................... 44

4.4.1 The rights to peace violated in conflicts and wars .......................................................... .44

4.4.2 The role of Human Rights advocators in protecting and promoting the Right to Peace .45

4.4.3The Implication of religious leaders to implement peace in eastern DRC ...................... .4 7

4.4.4 Violators of the Rights to Peace ....................................................................................... 47

4.4.4.1 The Central Government.. ............................................................................................ .47

4.4.4.2 Armed group (militia) in North Kivu ........................................................................... .48

4.4.4.3 Armed groups (militia) in South Kivu .......................................................................... 50

4.4.4.4 Foreigner armed groups (militias) fought in Eastern DRC ........................................... 51

4.4.5 Barriers of implementation of the Rights to Peace and Security in Communities .......... 52

4.4.6 Arms and Weapons ofRebels .......................................................................................... 55

4.5 Summary offindings ........................................................................................................... 56

CHAPTER FIVE .................................................................................................................... 58

DISCUSSIONS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMANDATIONS .................................. .58

5.0 Overview ............................................................................................................................. 58

5.1 Discussions ......................................................................................................................... 58

5.2 Conclusions ......................................................................................................................... 59

5.3 Recommendations ............................................................................................................... 60

5.4 Suggested areas for further research ................................................................................... 61

REFERENCE .......................................................................................................................... 63

APPENDIX A: SAMPLE SIZE ............................................................................................. 66

APPENDIX B: FIBLD LETTER .......................................................................................... 67

APPENDIX C: A QUESTIONNAIRE TO BE ADDRESSED TO PEOPLE INVOLVED IN PEACE MAKING ........................................................... 68

APPENDIX D: INTERVIEW GUIDES ................................................................................ 71

QUESTION A: ADVOCATORS OF HUMAN RIGHTS ................................................... 71