From Protection to Empowerment: Civilians as Stakeholders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies argues that for peace to be sustainable in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), civilians—particularly women, children, refugees, and internally displaced persons—must be transitioned from being viewed merely as 'victims' to being recognized as active 'stakeholders' in the peace process.

• The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has experienced an unprecedented death toll due to war, with the International Rescue Committee estimating 3.3 million civilian deaths. These deaths are primarily attributed to a lack of basic necessities such as food, clean water, medicine, and shelter.
• Sexual violence against women and girls is used systematically as a weapon of war by all armed groups in the DRC to terrorize communities, punish suspected supporters of opposing forces, and shatter community ties through the violation of kinship norms.
• Women remain severely underrepresented in the DRC's political and decision-making structures. Despite efforts to include women as 'experts' during the Sun City negotiations, only 7% of representatives in the Government, Parliament, Senate, and Institutions supporting Democracy are women.
• Children and youth in the DRC are highly vulnerable to militarization and recruitment by both government and non-state actors. This is driven by a lack of education, economic insecurity, and the collapse of traditional social safety nets, making them a 'renewable resource' for conflict.
• The exploitation of natural resources, specifically coltan, has directly contributed to civilian suffering. In the Eastern DRC, rebels and business interests forcibly displaced farmers and used slave labor to exploit minerals during a price boom in 1999-2000.
• Refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the DRC face extreme insecurity and a lack of legal protection. While the UNHCR facilitates the return of refugees (such as 11,900 Rwandans repatriated in 2003), it lacks the capacity to provide physical security, leaving camps vulnerable to kidnapping and recruitment by armed groups.
• The UN's 'mainstreaming' approach in the DRC, including the establishment of a Gender Affairs Office in March 2002, aims to integrate gender perspectives into the mission. However, the authors note a gap between rhetoric and reality, as women make up only 4% of the total military and civilian police components of the mission.
• The authors argue that peace processes often prioritize the interests of belligerents and external actors over the Congolese people. They suggest that political legitimacy for armed groups should be contingent upon their accountability to civilians and civil society.

APA

Kent, V., & McIntyre, A. (2004). From Protection to Empowerment: Civilians as Stakeholders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PAPER84.PDF

Chicago

Kent, Vanessa, and Angela McIntyre. From Protection to Empowerment: Civilians as Stakeholders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Institute for Security Studies, 2004. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PAPER84.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kent |first1=Vanessa |last2=McIntyre |first2=Angela |title=From Protection to Empowerment: Civilians as Stakeholders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=February 2004 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PAPER84.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kent2004from, author = {Kent, Vanessa and McIntyre, Angela}, title = {{From Protection to Empowerment: Civilians as Stakeholders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2004}, month = feb, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PAPER84.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }