Paper short abstract:

An increased focus on the regional dynamics of the protracted conflict in the eastern part of the DRC is essential. However, this focus will not reach sustainable peace if the conflict dynamics at the regional level are not being connected to the national and local level.

Paper long abstract:

The protracted conflict in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is situated within a wider regional conflict formation. Therefore, increased attention on the regional conflict dimensions is essential. However, a peacebuilding approach that would overemphasis reaching and maintaining regional stability is not likely to contribute to conflict transformation. Instead peacebuilding approaches should address the conflict dynamics at the regional, national and local level in a comphrensive manner. In this paper it is argued that over the last decade international actors adopted a stability focused approach and overemphasised the utility of the rapproachment between Kabila and Kagame to contribute to peace. Instead this approach led to the 'containment' of violence within the eastern part of the DRC creating a sense of stability within the region among international peacebuilders in the period 2009-2012. Due to an overemphasis on stability the underlying conflict system behind the violence was not being properly addresses leading to the next round of crisis within the region that emerged by the munity of M23 from the FARDC late 2012.