Women’s agency in traditional peace negotiation forums and the prospects for substantive democracy in Uvira, South Kivu

Abstract

Women’s agency has been evident in local peace-building spaces for three decades in eastern DR Congo, following a succession of conflicts. Different sections of the population, particularly women, have developed resilience in the face of violence and social injustices arising from a lack of respect for gender equality in the public sphere. This concept of capabilities, the commons and care effectively explain the extent of social inequalities and the degree to which women and other marginalised groups are included in local arenas. This concept enables women to develop their capacity for action in order to circumvent obstacles and dismantle the constraints perpetuated by patriarchy.

The vision of a substantive democracy must indeed be built and sustained by the emergence of endogenous practices and women’s capacity to act with complete autonomy and freedom. Women’s access to local peace-building forums facilitates the development of their capabilities whilst drawing on the commons—namely peace and security—which society as a whole need to protect. Caring for all sections of the population means, precisely, supporting the social inclusion of marginalised groups. Women’s political participation in the management of local peace-building structures enables them to take action and make decisions that have an impact not only on their own lives but on society as a whole. This study seeks to understand the trajectories of women’s resilience in the mobilisation of the three Cs – the commons, capabilities and care – in order to advance towards substantive democracy. It advocates for social justice and analyses the level of women’s inclusion in local peace negotiation forums. To collect empirical data on women’s actions and interpret these actions in terms of female agency in Uvira, semi-structured interviews and life narratives were conducted with s of local peace committees. The selection of women leaders was carried out using the snowball sampling technique.

Keywords: Female agency, traditional arenas, substantive democracy, gender equality.

Received Date: August 17, 2026

Accepted Date: September 09, 2026

Published Date: October 01, 2026

Available Online at: https://www.ijsrisjournal.com/index.php/ojsfiles/article/view/982