Intelligentsia congolaise, refondation de l’etat et developpement local en territoire de Fizi, Sud-Kivu, R. D. Congo

Congolese Intelligentsia, Rebuilding the State and Local Development in Fizi Territory, South-Kivu, R. D. Congo. Several authors have demonstrated, through theoretical and empirical studies, that democratic institutions play a very important role in the economic growth process. By clearly defining the mechanisms for accession to power and alternation of power, democratic regimes inhibit political destabilization. Most of the population of Fizi Territory, in the province of South Kivu, lives from agriculture, fishing, livestock breeding, small-scale trade and artisanal mining. Following the cyclical instability observed since the independence of Congo-Zaïre in 1960, the Territory of Fizi has remained a red zone. The Force Bendera dam, Lake Tanganyika and the RN5, the main sources of local development, have never been exploited. Until 2008, the political intelligentsia navigated blindly without any local development planning tools. The long-awaited basic elections never took place. Sovereignty at grassroots level was violated and is now in the hands of the protectors of the land. As a result, the rebuilding of the now non-existent state is a real and pressing priority. Identity-based violence must be banished by all means.