4 - Structures of Local Conflict: The Micro View

Summary

Turning to the local dynamics of Ituri district, the following chapter describes how internal forces reacted in a combustible mix under outside pressures. Drawing on the field research of social scientists, it is possible to reconstruct local governance patterns and initiatives, expressed most distinctly in fragile commercial alliances and networked political structures. These systems of loose confederation and brittle leadership provide a stark contrast to the standard paradigms of armed conflict coming out of twentieth-century Europe, which stand behind the concepts of crime and responsibility found in the Rome Statute. Based on comparative analysis of similar structures in weak or collapsed states, the events in Ituri stem from weak actors unable to surmount the challenges of governing with limited resources and overbearing outside pressures. Ethnic conflict is more likely the result rather than the cause of civilian violence. Explanations for that violence do not require the presumption of criminal plans, or ethnic hatred, or reckless risk calculations by rational actors.