SFCG mediates land dispute in eastern DRC

Mediation between Layi town and their local chief

“Our chief sold our ancestor’s land to a Lendu…He should be beaten for doing that!”

The Programme of Expanded Assistance to Returnees Plus, PEAR+, focuses on providing basic services to eastern DRC. Funded by UNICEF, SFCG was tasked with uncovering  and addressing conflicts that disrupt social cohesion and can impair the provision of these services.

In one local town, Ituri, fully 80% of people surveyed cited land conflicts as the most pressing matter in the region. Complicating matters, these conflicts usually have an ethnic undertone.

In one particular case, the inhabitants of Layi, an Ndo Okembo village, were upset that their chief had sold one of the hills in the village to someone from the neighbouring Lendu village. “Our chief sold our ancestor’s land to a Lendu…He should be beaten for doing that!”

Such statements encouraged SFCG to conduct mediations between the concerned parties and local leaders from both the Ndo Okembo and Lendu villages. Several separate meetings paved the way for all the disputants to come together to find a solution.

After two sets of mediations a month later, the tensions had calmed and the Ndo Okembo welcomed the Lendu family to the area. Afterwards, they celebrated the newfound peace with music, drinks, and a football match.

It goes without saying that the chief was delighted by the progress, considering that he had previously been afraid to set foot in Layi!