African Transitional Justice Network | Issouf | Friends Activity

The Price of Inclusion: Are We Sacrificing African Identity at the Altar of International Norms? Across our continent, peacebuilding and transitional justice processes continue to be measured against a liberal yardstick that was never designed with Africa in mind. In our pursuit of international legitimacy of being seen as modern, civilised, compliant we have too often traded away the very cultural foundations that make reconciliation meaningful to the communities we serve. This is what I call the price of inclusion: the quiet erosion of indigenous knowledge, local ritual, and community-owned healing in exchange for frameworks that look good in donor reports but land poorly on the ground. The gap between international norms and local realities is not a technical problem. It is a political one. And it will not be closed by adding an "African perspective" paragraph to an otherwise Western framework. What it demands is co-created, culturally resonant, and locally owned peacebuilding built with communities, not for them. So, at what point does alignment with international standards become a barrier to genuine African-led transitional justice?

Tue, 19 May 2026 12:21:03 +0200

The Price of Inclusion: Are We Sacrificing African Identity at the Altar of International Norms?

Across our continent, peacebuilding and transitional justice processes continue to be measured against a liberal yardstick that was never designed with Africa in mind. In our pursuit of international legitimacy of being seen as modern, civilised,…Read More

Having witnessed a community-designed transitional justice process for climate harms in South Africa, I started thinking: Are other communities affected by climate change developing their own backward- and forward-looking measures for climate harms, which could be seen as transitional justice? Working with the Civil Society Network on Climate Change (CISONECC), I conducted research with residents of Nkhulambe, an area of Malawi badly affected by climate disasters and creeping climate change. Several findings emerged: ➡️ Climate harms: While climate change is long term and climate impacts are likely to continue, residents experience a broad range of unacknowledged climate harms that could be prevented and reduced. These relate to loss of life, physical health, homes, infrastructure, education, livelihoods, food security, cultural practices, social order, and mental health. ➡️ Truth telling: Residents engage in truth telling on the causes and consequences of climate harms in community governance structures, cultural and religious ceremonies, and other events, seeking to share experiences, raise awareness, enable community and external learning, and build solidarity for action. ➡️ Memorialisation: Residents gather in the community and use traditional and religious practices to remember and honour those lost, help each other heal, enable community and external learning, and shape the way climate harms are talked about. ➡️ Participatory reform: Arguing that affected communities have knowledge and solutions that better respond to climate harms, residents advocate for participatory institutional and procedural reforms to facilitate more holistic climate action and contribute to non-recurrence at the national and international levels. These efforts, combined with climate readiness initiatives, suggest that (1) acknowledging the backward-looking measures developed by affected communities enriches climate responses, and (2) applying a transformative transitional justice lens to existing community practices may open new avenues towards climate justice. The report is available here: https://lnkd.in/eFRB8HK8

Tue, 05 May 2026 04:51:16 +0200

Having witnessed a community-designed transitional justice process for climate harms in South Africa, I started thinking: Are other communities affected by climate change developing their own backward- and forward-looking measures for climate harms, which could be seen as transitional justice?

Working with the Civil Society Network on Climate…Read More

Have you seen all the resources available on the African Transitional Justice Hub? The platform offers: ➡️ Comprehensive summaries of national transitional justice processes across the continent ➡️ Case studies on African truth commissions’ engagements with conflict-related sexual violence and gender more broadly ➡️ A database of truth commissions in Africa, including all reports and other source documents ➡️ A database of peace agreements with transitional justice components in Africa, including source documents ➡️ Continental policies and other frameworks related to transitional justice, including from the African Union and the regional economic communities ➡️ A collection of original opinion pieces by African practitioners on pressing transitional justice issues Together, they document transitional justice ideas and practices in Africa and present an African approach to transitional justice. Despite many challenges, we are seeing increasing engagement with socioeconomic transformation, mental health and psychosocial support, gender justice, diversity management, indigenous justice approaches, tech developments, climate justice, corporate accountability, and redress for colonialism and slavery, among other innovations. Have a look! #AfricanTJHub #TJinAfrica #TransitionalJustice

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 14:22:06 +0200

Have you seen all the resources available on the African Transitional Justice Hub? The platform offers:

➡️ Comprehensive summaries of national transitional justice processes across the continent

➡️ Case studies on African truth commissions’ engagements with conflict-related sexual violence and gender more broadly

➡️ A database of truth c…Read More

We have two new compelling opinion pieces by African practitioners on our African Transitional Justice Hub! CISONECC’s Julius Ng’oma writes that climate change must be understood not only as an environmental or humanitarian challenge, but also as a justice issue that raises fundamental questions about whose lives are protected, whose losses are recognised, and who participates in shaping recovery and resilience. https://atjhub.csvr.org.za/building-climate-justice-through-transitional-justice-a-new-path-for-malawis-resilience/ And CSVR’s Cathy-Ann Potgieter writes that South Africa must revisit its approach to reparations, including by expanding access beyond the narrow confines of the TRC victim list, simplifying administrative processes, and investing in community-based programmes that address systemic inequality: https://atjhub.csvr.org.za/the-unfinished-business-of-justice-south-africas-broken-promise-to-apartheid-survivors/

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 08:59:21 +0200

We have two new compelling opinion pieces by African practitioners on our African Transitional Justice Hub!

CISONECC’s Julius Ng’oma writes that climate change must be understood not only as an environmental or humanitarian challenge, but also as a justice issue that raises fundamental questions about whose lives are protected, whose losses are…Read More

7 avril 1994-7 avril 2026, 32 ans! Aujourd’hui, nous nous recueillons en mémoire des victimes du génocide contre les Tutsi au Rwanda. Nous honorons leur mémoire, nous pensons aux survivants, et nous réaffirmons notre devoir collectif de ne jamais oublier. Comme le disait Nelson Mandela : « Ce qui s’est passé au Rwanda ne doit plus jamais se reproduire, nulle part dans le monde. » En ce jour de commémoration, *engageons-nous résolument à promouvoir la paix, le pardon, la dignité humaine et la lutte contre la haine sous toutes ses formes 🕯️ #Kwibuka #Mémoire #PlusJamaisÇa

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:34:15 +0200

7 avril 1994-7 avril 2026, 32 ans! Aujourd’hui, nous nous recueillons en mémoire des victimes du génocide contre les Tutsi au Rwanda. Nous honorons leur mémoire, nous pensons aux survivants, et nous réaffirmons notre devoir collectif de ne jamais oublier.
Comme le disait Nelson Mandela : « Ce qui s’est passé au Rwanda ne doit plus jamais se…Read More

What shaped peace and security in West Africa in 2025 — and what risks lie ahead in 2026? The Annual Peace and Security Outlook analyses key governance and human security trends across the region, highlighting emerging risks and vulnerabilities to inform targeted strategic interventions. The report examines four thematic areas: • Democracy and Governance • Organised Crime and Violent Extremism • Gender, Peace and Security • Environmental Security 🔎 Read the full report: bit.ly/3N46waw

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:35:12 +0200

What shaped peace and security in West Africa in 2025 — and what risks lie ahead in 2026?

The Annual Peace and Security Outlook analyses key governance and human security trends across the region, highlighting emerging risks and vulnerabilities to inform targeted strategic interventions.
The report examines four thematic areas:
• Dem…Read More

25 years after UNSCR 1325, where does West Africa stand on the Women, Peace and Security agenda? Our new report, 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞: 𝐀 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐂𝐑 𝟏𝟑𝟐𝟓 @𝟐𝟓 𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚, contributes to the global reflection on a quarter‑century of WPS implementation by offering a regional perspective on achievements, persistent challenges, and lessons learned. The report identifies emerging opportunities and provides strategic recommendations for strengthening women’s leadership in peacebuilding and governance. It also outlines concrete pathways for sustaining the WPS agenda in the context of evolving peace and security dynamics in West Africa. 🔗 Access the full publication: bit.ly/46tUjmc

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:33:48 +0200

25 years after UNSCR 1325, where does West Africa stand on the Women, Peace and Security agenda?

Our new report, 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞: 𝐀 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐂𝐑 𝟏𝟑𝟐𝟓 @𝟐𝟓 𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚, contributes to the global reflection on a quarter‑century of WPS implementation by offering a regional perspective on achievements, persistent ch…Read More

URGENT ALERT: DRONE ATTACKS ON CIVILIAN INFRASTRUCTURE IN MINEMBWE South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo | March 26, 2026 BACKGROUND The Action Pour le Developpement des Jeunes au Congo (ADJC) a humanitarian and development organizations operating in the midlands and highlands of Uvira, Fizi, and Itombwe issues this urgent alert regarding repeated targeted attacks on civilian infrastructure in Minembwe, Fizi Territory, South Kivu Province, DRC. KEY INCIDENTS • March 25, 2025 (~4:00 PM): Community radio station TUUNGANE (Madegu Centre) destroyed by FARDCattributed drone strikes — its third destruction within one month. • March 25, 2025 (night): Drone strikes on Kiziba village destroyed civilian homes and killed livestock — the primary livelihood source for local communities. • March 23, 2026 (night): The 5th CELPA Church in Ilundu destroyed, depriving the community of a vital spiritual and social gathering space. HUMANITARIAN CONTEXT These attacks occur against the backdrop of a total humanitarian blockade lasting more than one year, severely restricting access to assistance for civilian populations already suffering nearly nine years of violence. The prolonged shutdown of Vodacom telecommunications for almost two months has further isolated communities and impeded emergency response and documentation of violations. Victims include innocent children, women, and elderly people who cannot access adequate medical care. Alleged perpetrators include FARDC, Burundi National Defense Forces (FDNB), Wazalendo armed groups, and foreign mercenaries. LEGAL CONCERNS These attacks — targeting civilians far from active frontlines who pose no military threat — constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction between civilians and combatants and the protection of civilian property. URGENT CALLS TO ACTION • Publicly and unequivocally condemn attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure; • Demand immediate cessation of drone strikes in populated areas; • Ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access to the population of Minembwe; • Conduct independent and impartial investigations to identify those responsible; • Break the silence surrounding the Minembwe crisis and amplify the voices of victims. Despite more than ten alerts issued by the Action Pour le Developpement des Jeunes au Congo (ADJC), the international communi ty, media, and humanitarian actors have remained largely silent. Silence in the face of serious violations of international humanitarian law may be perceived as implicit tolerance. Urgent and responsible action is required.

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 15:22:29 +0200

URGENT ALERT: DRONE ATTACKS ON CIVILIAN INFRASTRUCTURE IN
MINEMBWE
South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo | March 26, 2026
BACKGROUND
The Action Pour le Developpement des Jeunes au Congo (ADJC) a humanitarian and development organizations
operating in the midlands and highlands of Uvira, Fizi, and Itombwe issues this urgent alert regarding…Read More

Dear Networks, It is with deep regret that we have learned of the passing of Brigadier General MUNTAZINI MUKIMAPA Toussaint, Prosecutor at the Special Criminal Court (SCC) in the Central African Republic (CAR), who died on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at 9:45 a.m. following an illness. We extend our deepest condolences to his entire family and professional colleagues. The SPC is one of the judicial mechanisms of the transitional justice process in the CAR, alongside the International Criminal Court (ICC) and other national courts. A national court established by Organic Law No. 15.003 of June 3, 2015, it is composed of national and international judges and staff. It has jurisdiction to investigate, prosecute, and adjudicate crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes that are the subject of ongoing and future investigations. Arnaud Yaliki ----- Chers réseaux, Nous apprenons avec profond regret le décès du Général de Brigade MUNTAZINI MUKIMAPA Toussaint, Procureur près la Cour Pénale Spéciale (CPS) en République Centrafricaine (RCA), décès survenu le mercredi 25 mars 2026 à 9h45 des suites d'une maladie. Nos condoléances les plus émues à toute sa famille biologique et professionnelle. La CPS fait partie des mécanismes judiciaires du processus de justice transitionnelle en RCA aux côtés de la Cour pénale internationale (CPI) et des autres juridictions nationales. Juridiction nationale créée par la loi organique n° 15.003 du 03 juin 2015, elle est composée de magistrats et personnels nationaux et internationaux. Elle est compétente pour enquêter, instruire et juger les crimes de génocide, les crimes contre l’humanité et les crimes de guerre objets des enquêtes en cours et à venir. Arnaud Yaliki

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:42:19 +0200

Dear Networks,
It is with deep regret that we have learned of the passing of Brigadier General MUNTAZINI MUKIMAPA Toussaint, Prosecutor at the Special Criminal Court (SCC) in the Central African Republic (CAR), who died on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at 9:45 a.m. following an illness. We extend our deepest condolences to his entire family and…Read More

Dear networks, March 25, 2026, will go down in the history of Africa and the world: the UN General Assembly has taken a significant step forward by adopting a resolution that designates the transatlantic slave trade and racial slavery as “the gravest crimes against humanity.” Sponsored by Ghana, the resolution condemns neocolonialism and calls for redress for historical wrongs. It is important to move on to the next steps: Truth and Reparations for these atrocities. Arnaud Yaliki ---- Chers réseaux, Le 25 mars 2026 va rentrer dans l’histoire de l’Afrique et du monde : l’Assemblée générale de l'ONU a franchi une étape importante, en adoptant une résolution qui qualifie la traite négrière et l'esclavage raciales de « plus graves crimes contre l'humanité ». Portée par le Ghana, elle dénonce le néocolonialisme et appelle à la réparation des blessures historiques. Il est important de passer aux étapes suivantes : la Vérité et la Réparation pour ces atrocités. Arnaud Yaliki

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:28:33 +0200

Dear networks,
March 25, 2026, will go down in the history of Africa and the world: the UN General Assembly has taken a significant step forward by adopting a resolution that designates the transatlantic slave trade and racial slavery as “the gravest crimes against humanity.” Sponsored by Ghana, the resolution condemns neocolonialism and cal…Read More

I am writing a paper on mass movements and TJ, focusing on how mass movements can catalyse transitional justice processes (or discussions that call for some of the TJ recommendations) and positive transitions that contribute to more peaceful, violence-free societies. I am interested in how TJ can leverage some of these organic, informal structures and the often issue-induced mass movements for peace. CSVR recently hosted a webinar on this topic, and the Global Learning Hub hosted a panel on this during the October 2025 GLH Conference. I will consolidate and draw inspiration from some of the reflections and discussion points on my paper expanding them with case studies - particularly Sudan mass protests (2019), Gen Z protests in Kenya (2024), Burkina Faso (2014), Gen-Z mass protests in Nepal (2025), Tunisia (Arab Spring, 2011), student-led mass protests in Bangladesh (2024-2025) and Gabon (2023).

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 15:32:00 +0200

I am writing a paper on mass movements and TJ, focusing on how mass movements can catalyse transitional justice processes (or discussions that call for some of the TJ recommendations) and positive transitions that contribute to more peaceful, violence-free societies. I am interested in how TJ can leverage some of these organic, informal structures…Read More

Last week, i was excited to facilitate two classes on human rights and transitional justice in Africa, for the 2026 cohorts of the LLM/Mphil students at the Center for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, South Africa. This was a particularly exciting experience for me considering that just 7 years back, i was also a student at this prestigious institution and program

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 14:17:48 +0200

Last week, i was excited to facilitate two classes on human rights and transitional justice in Africa, for the 2026 cohorts of the LLM/Mphil students at the Center for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, South Africa.

This was a particularly exciting experience for me considering that just 7 years back, i was also a student at this…Read More

Last week, the African Union Commission (TJ team) said a warm goodbye (or see you soon?) to Annie Izere (GIZ office to the AU), as she prepares to leave Addis to higher responsibility in West Africa. Thank you Annie for being such a wonderful partner over the years.

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 10:44:46 +0200

Last week, the African Union Commission (TJ team) said a warm goodbye (or see you soon?) to Annie Izere (GIZ office to the AU), as she prepares to leave Addis to higher responsibility in West Africa.

Thank you Annie for being such a wonderful partner over the years.

With this initiative, I had the wonderful (and somewhat terrifying) opportunity to see a long-contemplated idea become a reality – collaborating with communities gravely affected by climate change to carry out a transformative transitional justice process for climate harms. Presenting the entire initiative, this publication examines ways a transformative approach to transitional justice can create new avenues towards climate justice. And it documents the process of working closely with the communities to implement truth telling and memorialisation for climate harms, along with advocacy for participatory climate responses, sharing lessons learnt that might be useful to other practitioners. Some key points: - Climate impacts lead to a wide range of profound and lasting climate harms, which are often rendered invisible. - Transitional justice combines backward-looking and forward-looking measures that, by design, help address these manifold climate harms. - Because they navigate climate challenges on a daily basis, affected communities have the contextualised knowledge, resources and networks to come up with novel solutions. These address past climate harms and seek to curb future harms. - Mental health and psychosocial support are crucial to dealing with climate harms. - Community-led, ‘bottom-up’ measures can be seen as forms of transformative transitional justice in themselves. They can also complement and strengthen national and international, ‘top-down’ efforts. - By enabling cross-pollination of ideas and practices among diverse stakeholders from the local to the international level, we can build solidarity to work towards climate responses that transform obstructive power structures and tackle the intersectional, intergenerational harms that come with climate change. With these lessons learnt from practice, the door is open to further transformative transitional justice processes for climate harms. I am looking forward to seeing what comes next. You can find the full report here: https://www.csvr.org.za/transformative-transitional-justice-for-climate-justice-lessons-from-practice/

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 10:00:27 +0200

With this initiative, I had the wonderful (and somewhat terrifying) opportunity to see a long-contemplated idea become a reality – collaborating with communities gravely affected by climate change to carry out a transformative transitional justice process for climate harms.

Presenting the entire initiative, this publication examines ways a t…Read More

Happy to see this paper I worked on with Ron Slye out in the world. It compares transitional justice and depolarization, identifying correlations between their respective objectives and tools, and examines ways in which the two act as mutual risk multipliers, creating negative feedback loops that produce additional harms and make future attempts at transition more difficult. The paper provides a conceptual framework for thinking about polarization-sensitive transitional justice, along with some practical proposals for making it happen. You can read the paper here: https://ifit-transitions.org/publications/polarisation-the-hyper-problem-transitional-justice-can-no-longer-ignore/ #TransitionalJustice #Polarization

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 16:28:49 +0200

Happy to see this paper I worked on with Ron Slye out in the world. It compares transitional justice and depolarization, identifying correlations between their respective objectives and tools, and examines ways in which the two act as mutual risk multipliers, creating negative feedback loops that produce additional harms and make future attempts…Read More