Insecurity and local governance in Congo’s South Kivu

The South Kivu (SK) province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has experienced recurrent wars for more than 15 years. This article explores the way local systems of governance and networking in SK have been affected by the civil war, and the ways in which local communities have tried to cope with the absence of the state. The paper indicates that life during the absence of state governance in SK was precarious, economic activities were disturbed and poverty became severe. However, the author points out that governance does not completely disappear when the state collapses, and multilayered, networked informal governance is much less of a threat to viable states than might be imagined. The author states that despite the end of violent confrontations, and the return of a more peaceful state in many areas, the situation in SK remains volatile. In this sense, the behaviour of many groups is determined by the fear that another cycle of war is in the making, and this threat makes all groups feel uneasy, fearful and suspicious of the another. Conclusions are as follows: • security will remain precarious and justice partial in SK (as long as unemployment remains severe); the army continues to be partially controlled; civil servants are left in miserable conditions, and militias control large areas • it is evident that when the state is incapable of assuring the security of its own population, it is difficult for social mechanisms and local institutions alone to substitute for the lack of a functioning state • correspondingly, people in SK want the UN stabilisation mission (MONUSCO) to be more committed and to improve its methods of protecting the local population and fighting against foreign interference.