| The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been trying to establish peace within its borders for over a decade without success. This thesis: "Conflict in The Democratic Republic of Congo: Assessing Peace Agreements, From The Lusaka Peace Accord to the The Dar es Salaam Declaration 1999 to 2008" gives a critical analysis as to why peace has yet to be restored in the country, even after many peace agreements have been signed. This study has found after analyzing the peace agreements signed between the DRC, Uganda, Rwanda and the many rebel groups, that the strategy of using peace talks in a time of conflict can still be an effective tool if the powersharing model used in these particular negotiations was eliminated. This study has found that the central flaw of the model is the assumption that ethic diversity creates vulnerability in a society, opening it up to conflict. This assumption only perpetuates the idea that ethnicity is the threat. Furthermore, the use of this model has furthered divisions in the country and in surrounding nations and has prolonged the conflict, leaving the entire Great Lakes Region at risk. |
