Words versus guns

This text analyzes land mediation mechanisms in South Kivu (DRC), where land is primarily a matter of lineage belonging rather than a legal title. It maps the key actors—customary authorities (Mwami), state committees (CPCF), local and international NGOs, UN agencies—and their respective methods (palaver, legal clinics, participatory theater, participatory mapping). Concrete cases illustrate the effectiveness of these mechanisms for neighborhood disputes, inheritance conflicts, and the return of displaced persons. However, the assessment is mixed: Mediation remains fragile, lacking enforceable mechanisms, vulnerable to elite capture, and entirely powerless in the face of armed groups such as M23. The December 2025 land law opens a window of opportunity, but its application hinges on a peace the region has yet to achieve. Mediation is presented as a pragmatic tool for managing local conflicts—necessary, but insufficient without deeper agrarian, security, and institutional reform.