APCJ_1528_Win2010_00i_122_4 12/30/10 3:22 PM Page 55 Gaps in the Eastern Congo Peacebuilding Process 55 a country’s determination to address the root causes of conflict and construct just and functional political institutions and a vibrant civil society. Peace agreements tend to be more effective when they engage society as a whole; they are also likely to be more efficient in societies where critical consciousness about the roots of conflict and peaceful methods of resolving personal and societal problems is sufficiently adequate to enhance the strength of institution building and decrease suspicions and prejudices as a source of violence. Although the peace agreement signed in Pretoria identified root causes of the armed conflict, the subsequent peacebuilding process did not look particularly promising with regard to local problems and community psycho-social transformation. The 2006 elections and the 2008 agreement did not bring the peace and democracy for which many had hoped. Instead, the process has generated an atmosphere of skepticism because elections did not succeed in building a lasting peace and political stability.56 Critics argue that democratization has not led to an accountable government in DR Congo, but has instead reinforced wartime power dynamics and mismanagement.57 It is therefore paramount that local problems be addressed and grass-root perceptions of peace and conflict be considered to pre-empt any spillover effects of social and political instability in the eastern Congo region. There are three main ways in which this state of affairs can potentially be approached: through improved governance and institutional reform, a justice and reconciliation commission, and peace education programs. Improved Governance and Institutional Reform Structures that deal with resource allocations and distributions in Congo should be thoroughly revisited and configured in such a way that individuals and communities equitably benefit from the country’s resources. The large number of people lacking food and the poor state of the national infrastructure, including transport and communications, necessitate urgent intervention to increase local food production and reduce the eastern region’s isolation from the rest of the country. All of this implies a radical transformation of the agricultural system and domestic policies. Such a shift depends upon a coherent political decision involving a plan of action and a vision for the society to be created in addition to offering incentives and alternatives for making changes. To do so, however, requires an awareness of certain material conditions. The link between increased poverty and the involvement of multinational corporations and foreign countries in the Congolese conflict for economic gain makes it critical to pursue reform in the area of mining contracts and management policies, launched in 2006 by the government, with the participation of Congolese civil society.58 This process should lead to new institutions and laws that allow the local population to truly benefit from their regional resources and prevent illegal pillaging and 56. Human Rights Watch (Belgium), ‘RD Congo: l’accord de paix n’a pas mis fin aux meurtres de civils’, Dialogue, no. 244 (2008), 33–38. 57. Rigobert Minani Bizuho, ‘Société civile et processus de démocratisation en DR Congo’, CongoAfrique, no. 439 (2009), 721. 58. The Catholic Church, in particular the Jesuit Research Center for Social Action, was actively involved in this area.