Peace in the Great Lakes Region: Time for a Regional Approach

The briefing contends that peace in the Great Lakes region requires a shift from prioritizing regime stability to fostering sustainable democratic institutions and addressing the 'regional mafia' of actors profiting from illicit mineral trade. It suggests that the leadership of President Félix Tshisekedi in the DRC provides an opportunity to reinvigorate regional relations, provided the international community stops tolerating human rights violations in the name of stability.

• Addressing instability in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the wider Great Lakes region requires a regionally rooted political process that targets violence and the illegal exploitation of resources.
• A 'regional mafia' consisting of military leaders, politicians, and businesspeople from the DRC, Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi operates across national and ethnic lines, driven by profit from the illicit trade of minerals and other goods.
• International approaches to Uganda and Rwanda have focused too heavily on regime stability rather than democratic institutions, based on the flawed premise that human rights violations should be tolerated to maintain regional stability.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2020). Peace in the Great Lakes Region: Time for a Regional Approach. https://saiia.org.za/research/peace-in-the-great-lakes-region-time-for-a-regional-approach/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Peace in the Great Lakes Region: Time for a Regional Approach. 2020. https://saiia.org.za/research/peace-in-the-great-lakes-region-time-for-a-regional-approach/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Peace in the Great Lakes Region: Time for a Regional Approach |date=16 September 2020 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/peace-in-the-great-lakes-region-time-for-a-regional-approach/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2020peace, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Peace in the Great Lakes Region: Time for a Regional Approach}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2020}, month = sep, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/peace-in-the-great-lakes-region-time-for-a-regional-approach/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }