Mass Movements and Transitional Justice in Africa

This policy paper interrogates the nexus between mass movements and transitional justice in Africa. The absence of clear pathways for political transition, accountability and systemic reform has caused protest energy to turn into political instability rather than lasting change. Standard transitional justice recommendations have failed to address this gap because they are not designed to overcome the institutional interests of the actors responsible for implementing them. Drawing on experiences from Burkina Faso, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan, the paper diagnoses where transitional justice frameworks are failing to engage the momentum generated by popular uprisings and sets out actor specific recommendations for closing that gap.