Systemic Roots of Sexual Violence in Eastern DRC: Armed Group Dynamics, Regional Power Play, and Marginalised Communities
Original framing: “World News in Brief: Sexual violence in DR Congo, deaths in Ukraine and Russia, crime in Southeast Asia” — Global Issues
Women survivors, internally displaced persons, and youth activists have articulated demands for land restitution, survivor‑centred justice, and community‑controlled mining oversight, yet their testimonies are rarely incorporated into peace accords. Amplifying these voices through participatory platforms can reshape negotiation agendas and ensure accountability. Marginalised perspectives also reveal how intersecting identities—such as ethnicity and disability—shape vulnerability and resilience.
The sexual violence perpetrated by M23 is not an isolated atrocity but a symptom of a historic, resource‑driven conflict amplified by regional power interests and global market demands.
Indigenous justice systems, when reinstated, can provide culturally resonant accountability, while scientific monitoring and climate‑conflict modelling reveal the urgency of reforming mineral governance. Marginalised survivors' demands for land restitution and survivor‑centred justice must shape any peace process, supported by a regional framework that ties economic diversification to security incentives. By integrating cross‑cultural reconciliation, robust early warning mechanisms, and transparent supply chains, actors from the DRC government to international donors can dismantle the structural drivers of gendered violence and build a sustainable, just peace.