TITLE:
Transitional Justice: A Condition for Peace, Growth and Development in South Kivu, a Case Study of the Kalehe Territory
AUTHORS:
Muchiga Zihindula Norbert, Ruphin Chinamula
KEYWORDS:
Transitional Justice, Peace, Growth, Development
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Applied Sociology,
Vol.15 No.11,
November
28,
2025
ABSTRACT: In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, land rights are compromised by inadequate governance, corrupt practices, and the lack of integration of customary land rights into the formal legal framework. This situation generates numerous land conflicts, illegitimate land grabs, and the exclusion of local communities from their ancestral territories. Consequently, a dual land tenure system persists, legal security for landowners remains nonexistent, and economic development is hampered by these recurring conflicts and chronic instability. This article therefore examines the need for transitional justice in the Kalehe territory to resolve long-standing land, identity, and resource-related conflicts. Through a qualitative case study conducted with civil society actors using Tropes software, we demonstrate that a multidimensional approach, combining judicial, restorative, and institutional reforms, is essential for peace and development, while moving away from solutions based on the criminal justice system, which is often analyzed in the majority of cases related to this issue. The study highlights the profound impact of historical grievances and the inability of current systems to deliver justice to affected communities.