Importance of Political Will in Post-conflict Justice and Reconciliation Process
Political will and support remain
indispensable in post-conflict reconstruction justice and reconciliation
processes. Without a strong political will and support, it is feared that the
key motivation for creating the post-conflict justice and reconciliation
processes may, in fact, be the opposite: “to silence pro-democratic voices,
indoctrinate the population, and ultimately consolidate yet another
undemocratic and repressive regime” (Buckley-Zistel et al. 2013: 6-8). There
are numerous cases where governments have manipulated transitional justice
initiatives to legitimize their rule. For instance, in Ethiopia’s so called
‘red terror trials’ transitional justice mechanisms ended at mere
liberalization (Tiba 2007: 517; Harbeson 1998: 64). Similarly, transitional
justice in Uzbekistan seems to have aimed at consolidating the regime’s
repressive grip on power (Grodsky 2008: 288). The very repression that allowed
Karimov to control the state and most of society created conditions that made
transitional justice possible and even likely, in part, because Karimov had the
need to blame his poor human rights record on something else, such as
difficulties in overcoming structures put in place during the Soviet era
(Grodsky 2008: 289).
The narrative in Rwanda may not be
very different, after all. For instance, Rwanda’s Ingando camps which were
officially claimed to offer a venue for eradicating genocide ideology, are
alleged to disseminate a one-sided picture of Rwandan history and
indoctrinating its participants according to the RPF ideology (Mgbako 2005;
Reyntjens 2004: 183-184). This questions the tenability of the perceived peace
and stability, as well as post bellum assurance of non recurrence of violent
conflicts. The RPF government has come under sharp criticism for alleged shielding
of perpetrators of revenge killings targeting the Hutu in the wake of the
genocide (Human Rights Watch, 2014). Whereas the killings perpetrated by the
RPF cannot in any way be compared with the horrendous murders of the genocide,
those who committed such killings should equally be brought to justice to
ensure a balance in dealing with post genocide challenges. The government
should be able to remain neutral and provide conducive political atmosphere
that allows for justice across board.
Importance of Political Will in Post-conflict Justice and Reconciliation Process
Reviewed by Ibrahim Magara
on
May 12, 2016
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