C’est avec une grande tristesse que nous partageons la nouvelle que l’ami et collègue de Peace Direct, le pasteur Floribert (Flory) Kazingufu, est décédé le 2 mars 2023 à Bujumbura, au Burundi. Il était âgé de 55 ans. Flory était le coordinateur de la Fondation Chirezi (FOCHI), une organisation qu’il a cofondée en 2002 basée … Continued
It is with great sadness that we share the news that Peace Direct’s friend and colleague, Pastor Floribert (Flory) Kazingufu, passed away on 2 March 2023 in Bujumbura, Burundi. He was 55 years old. Flory was the Coordinator of Fondation Chirezi (FOCHI), an organisation he co-founded in 2002, based in South-Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of … Continued
For many living in war-torn DR Congo, access to fast and effective justice is rare. Local disputes over land, farming or marriage can quickly escalate to wider violence that feeds into complex local conflicts. This leaves people without ways of resolving their conflicts peacefully and can entrench dangerous cycles of violence. Here, FOCHI’s Peace Courts are having a big impact for people on the ground.
In war-torn eastern Congo an area almost the size of Ireland has virtually no access to justice, because the police and legal systems are distant, slow, expensive or simply corrupt. To solve this problem, our partner Fondation Chirezi (FOCHI) has established a system of village courts or ‘barazas’, which cover a population of 70,000 people in South Kivu.
In a provocative recent article in The Guardian, Owen Jones argued that the horrific conflict and violence in DR Congo has only continued for so long because outsider don’t care enough to stop it. According to Jones, Western governments, media and the public have not paid attention to the atrocities taking place, nor have they called for something to be done. Here at Peace Direct, we know that local people and local organisations have their own solutions to conflict, and they have the power and skills to build their own structures for peace. The outside experts may not be so crucial as Jones suggests.
Alana Poole writes about her time time volunteering with one of Peace Direct’s partner organisations in DR Congo, and about the determination and courage of the local peacebuilders working to bring end violence in Congo.
The community is the most important tool in conflict management, which is why the barazas, community-run ‘Clubs of Peace’ in the South Kivu province of DR Congo, play such a vital role in preventing local conflict. For Madame Christine, a 62 year-old woman accused of witchcraft, the barazas were a life line. In the village … Continued
Eastern Congo is one of the most unstable places on earth. In the war that has raged since 1996, over two million people have been forced to flee their homes. As people attempt to return, many find that their homes or land have been taken over by others. An influx of returning refugees often threatens … Continued
“Soccer for Peace in Kiliba astonished the population because the organization made enemy teams become allied teams by the second round. By the time the finals came, the teams were composed of people who were adversaries at the start.” Flory Kazingufu In a dusky afternoon, both captains stood either side of Flory Kazangufu, impatiently awaiting … Continued
Omari spends his days working the land and running his own small business in the city of Rugenge, in eastern DR Congo. Behind what appears to be a quiet and peaceful life, is the story of a man who spent more than a decade fighting in the bush as a rebel soldier and who would likely … Continued