Paper short abstract:

This paper looks to re-appraise the prevailing normative expectation—largely influenced by the notion of lex talionis—in righting past wrongs in the event of mass atrocity in post-war DRC.

Paper long abstract:

In an attempt of problematizing different understandings of justice after mass violence, this paper takes as raw material for the critique of criminal justice a close scrutiny of the negotiated political settlement for the transition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) ushered in by the Pretoria Global and Inclusive Accord of 2003. In doing so, the paper looks to re-appraise the prevailing normative expectation—largely influenced by the notion of lex talionis—in righting past wrongs in the event of mass atrocity. In the final analysis, the paper draws some critical lessons for the unfolding transitional justice debates in view of the peculiar historical and socio-political contexts within which mass violence in contemporary African Great Lakes region has taken place.