Religion has emerged as a strong socio-political factor in galvanising people and is assuming greater importance in many countries irrespective of their level of economic development. One of the importance of religion is reflected in the public domain (especially in countries that have a weak state apparatus) where faith-based actors are co-opted into crucial local and national decision-making structures and processes in that they are a key constituency in civil society.
This paper looks at the role religion plays in peacebuilding and development in the DRC. It acknowledges that religion can be constructive or destructive. It is constructive when it plays roles such as facilitating peacebuilding and providing social services and destructive when it is used to legitimise or justify violence.
Key findings:
- The performance of positive social, economic and political functions by faith-based groups is based on the notion of liberation theology. Liberation theology is a social construct that underscores positive collective action towards alleviating pain and suffering. For DR Congo’s religious networks, inaction in the face of untold suffering (caused by war) was not only unthinkable but also a sin against the Supreme Being. The involvement of the DRC’s faith-based organisations in the public speaks to the intent and spirit of liberation theology. In a country where state bureaucracy has almost always existed only in name, the majority of Congolese have had to rely on non-state actors in the area of provision of social and other crucial life-support services.
- The peacebuilding initiatives undertaken by DR Congo’s religious networks can be suitably situated within the context of conflict transformation. Rather than conducting a manipulative search for an agreement that is acceptable to the warring parties or one that merely satisfies the interests of the parties to the conflict, DRC’s religious networks have undertaken roles intended to generate the cumulative effect of shifting the attitudes of parties, transforming structures as well as relationships for durable peace and harmonious coexistence. The country’s faith-based actors have been seeking to transform not only the parties’ perceptions but also the environment within which the DRC conflict has occurred.
- The saliency of religious networks’ positive roles in the DRC’s conflict transformation process is underscored by state deflation/collapse (or what may be referred to as declining statecraft). The scenario in the DRC exemplifies the increasing socio-political role of religion within the context of declining statecraft in Africa’s conflict zones. An objective assessment of faith-based actors’ involvement in peacebuilding indicates that religious organisations have given momentous impetus to the peace and development processes in the DRC. However, it is noted that some religious institutions target only their members in terms of provision of humanitarian assistance in which case, such intervention inadvertently alienates those who profess other faiths – thus deepening divisions in society.
Recommendations:
- There is the need to separate religiously motivated social action (in this case peacebuilding) from a purely religious mission such as proselytising. Some Congolese are critical of faith-based organisations’ involvement in public life as churches often provide social services in order to induce conversion.
- Research findings indicate that DR Congo’s religious groups have broadened their peacebuilding initiatives to embrace several processes in the conflict transformation spectrum. It is not uncommon to find that a faith-based organisation is involved in several at the same time. In such instances, their efforts are dispersed and do not yield homogeneous results. Therefore, it is necessary that religious groups identify areas of comparative advantage and competence in the peacebuilding spectrum. This will make for thorough involvement and deeper engagement in which case the benefits of intervention can be harnessed and enjoyed more fully.
