Mapping Report > Foreword

This report is the result of interviews with several hundred interlocutors, both Congolese and foreign, who witnessed atrocities in the country: it substantiates their accounts and reflects their aspirations for justice. No report however, can adequately describe the horrors experienced by the civilian population in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where almost every single individual has an experience to narrate of suffering and loss. In some cases, victims became perpetrators, while perpetrators were themselves sometimes subjected to serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, in a cycle of violence that has not yet abated. The report is intended to be representative of the grave acts of violence that affected – directly or indirectly – a vast number of people living in the DRC. While it neither aims to establish individual responsibility, nor lay blame, the report – in full candour – reproduces the often shocking accounts by victims and witnesses of the tragedies they experienced. The report is intended as a first step towards the sometimes painful but nonetheless essential process of truth-telling after violent conflict.

This report makes an assessment of the justice system in the DRC, based on insights from various stakeholders in the justice sector, including those who were victims of its shortcomings. It presents a number of options to be considered by both Congolese and international actors in the difficult task of reforming the justice system, which faces multiple challenges. It calls for renewed Government commitment to ensure that justice becomes one of the fundamental pillars of Congolese democracy. Lastly, it looks to the future by identifying a number of paths that could be pursued by Congolese society to come to terms with its past, to fight impunity, and to face its contemporary challenges in a manner that prevents the re-occurrence of such atrocities.

Through their testimonies in this report, the Congolese people have demonstrated their commitment to truth and to justice. The ultimate impact of this project will depend on follow-up actions by the Government and the people of the DRC. While the primary responsibility to define and implement an approach to transitional justice lies with the Government and the people of the DRC, they deserve the support of the international community in this endeavour. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights will remain a committed partner of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the important quest for truly sustainable peace.

Navanethem Pillay
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights