For decades, eastern DRC has been plagued by armed conflict, land disputes and ethnic tensions. Tens of thousands of people have died, and hundreds of thousands are (internally) displaced. The violence has severely affected the social cohesion in eastern DRC, as well as people’s trust in the Congolese government. The latter is virtually absent in the region, and does not have the capacity, nor the means or motivation to respond to the needs of the population. Moreover, the population barely has a say in decision-making processes. These deteriorated state-society relations can be a conflict driver in themselves.
In order to stabilize the region, it is crucial to strengthen the state-society relations. PAX, IOM, Cordaid and VNG International promote this through the CISPE programme in North Kivu and Ituri. PAX seeks to enable communities to address the conflicts themselves, while the others try to improve the effectiveness of the police, the territorial administration, and the judiciary. The ultimate aim is to create trust and an open dialogue between the local population and the authorities.