Abstract
Bukavu is a rapidly growing city in the conflict-affected east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is home to large numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs). This article looks at these IDPs and explores the strategies they use to claim their rights and settle their everyday disputes. The article is based on a socio-legal research project for which data collection took place between May 2015 and June 2016. The research found that hardly any assistance is provided to IDPs in Bukavu and both state and non-state actors have limited knowledge on their situation. Our data show that the mobilization of personal connections is key for IDPs to find justice, either directly or indirectly. Helping IDPs to strengthen their social networks in town could be a strategy for policy makers and practitioners to improve IDP’s access to justice and to better respect their rights.
Highlights
In search of security, people living in conflict-affected regions seek shelter in more secure areas, either within their country or outside
We have analysed the main categories of justice concerns that internally displaced persons (IDPs) are facing and strategies they use to address these concerns
We have done so by placing the IDPs central as actors in our socio-legal analysis, as this allowed us to look at real concerns and consider IDPs as victims of the armed conflicts, and as actors who struggle with everyday justice
Summary
People living in conflict-affected regions seek shelter in more secure areas, either within their country or outside. Bukavu’s streets are full of Everyday Justice for the Internally Displaced in a Context of Fragility 181 four-wheeled vehicles of development and humanitarian aid organizations that run their projects and programmes from their main offices in town Their areas of intervention are primarily in the surrounding rural districts. The neglect of aid efforts is reflected in low levels of satisfaction among Bukavu’s population concerning the interventions of national and international NGOs and the UN in improving local conditions Indicative in this regard are the findings of a large survey (n 1⁄43,905) carried out in the eastern provinces of the DRC, including 294 respondents in Bukavu (Vinck et al 2016). We take an empirical socio-legal approach in which we place the displaced central as actors, as this allows us to look at their everyday justice concerns and the strategies they use to overcome these concerns
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