CSVR |

Promoting Transitional Justice and Accountability in Africa

Bobuin Jr Valery Gemandze Oben — Thu, 21 May 2026 12:27:03 +0000

This policy paper examines justice and accountability mechanisms in conflict and post-conflict contexts across Africa, focusing on how states can deliver meaningful accountability while building sustainable peace. From Uganda's 20-year-long insurgency, which displaced 1.5 million civilians, to the genocide in Rwanda, which claimed 800 000 lives, to Sierra Leone's civil war, which occasioned the deaths of 100 000 people, to more recent conflicts in South Sudan, where over 400 000 individuals have died since 2013, Ethiopia's Tigray conflict, The Gambia's transition from dictatorship, and ongoing violence in the Central African Republic and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.3 Throughout these cases, six critical issues can be identified that threaten the effectiveness of justice and accountability initiatives.

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Towards Advancing Psychosocial Justice: Strengthening Mental Health Support through the Psychosocial Wellness Programme

Teresa Abel — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 13:07:29 +0000

Violence continues to leave deep psychological and social scars in many communities, creating urgent needs for accessible, context-sensitive mental health support programmes and systems. Through the Psychosocial Wellness Programme (PWP) at the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR), efforts have been made to advance psychosocial wellness by strengthening holistic care systems for violence-affected individuals and communities. Recognizing that unresolved trauma undermines leadership effectiveness and sustainability, the programme addresses the interconnectedness of personal healing, self-awareness, and transformative leadership. This practice brief captures key experiences from implementing psychosocial interventions that prioritize healing, resilience, and empowerment that are useful in informing evidence-based policy recommendations. It outlines the overview of PWP, the context, its implementation, participant engagement strategies, methodology, discussion and summary analysis of findings, the outcomes achieved, and the lessons learned. There is also a section linking evidence to policy recommendations and the policy recommendations based on evidence for practitioners seeking to bridge mental health care with social justice frameworks in South Africa and similar contexts. By centering survivor agency, addressing structural inequalities, and fostering collective healing, the PWP contributes meaningfully to the broader goal of building safer, healthier, and more equitable societies

PWP PRACTICE BRIEF JULY 2025

BEYOND RHETORIC: INTEGRATING AFRICAN TRADITIONAL JUSTICE MECHANISMS INTO TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE PROCESSES

Dr. Tadesse Metekia — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 11:49:30 +0000

The policy brief emphasizes the importance of integrating African traditional justice mechanisms into transitional justice processes to enhance rule-of-law and peace-building efforts across the continent. It highlights the recognition of these mechanisms in various countries, where they operate alongside formal judicial systems to address disputes and promote reconciliation, especially in post-conflict contexts. Despite their potential, the brief identifies challenges such as aligning traditional practices with international human rights standards and ensuring inclusivity. It advocates for a hybrid approach where traditional and formal justice systems complement each other, recommending specific actions for national governments, international justice institutions, and the African Union to facilitate this integration effectively.

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The Power of We: How collective processes allow healing after mass atrocity – Reflections from the field

CSVR — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:14:41 +0000

In 2024, the Global Learning Hub for Transitional Justice and Reconciliation convened partners, AJAR, the Berghof Foundation, CSVR, and Dejusticia in a collaborative workstream on Collective Healing. Through a joint process of learning and reflection, the team examined diverse country experiences to inform more transformative approaches to transitional justice, reconciliation, and peacebuilding. Drawing on institutional reflections and field-based practices from CSVR in South Africa and AJAR in the Asia-Pacific region, the resulting publication highlights the value of community-based interventions. It emphasises that healing must go beyond individual therapy and legal mechanisms, advocating for culturally grounded, community-led strategies that foster resilience, dignity, and intergenerational dialogue. The work also surfaces persistent challenges, such as systemic violence and complex trauma, while positioning collective healing as a crucial component of meaningful, long-term transitional justice.

250414_Hub Publication_PowerOfWe

Integrating Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in Transitional Justice A Pathway for Breaking the Cycle of Violence and Creating Sustainable Peace

Lethabo Motloung — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 10:34:28 +0000

The aftermath left by civil unrest and human rights violations within a conflict-stricken country is indescribable. The ramifications of armed conflict include large-scale destruction of critical infrastructure, widespread environmental damage from chemical weapons and entire communities experiencing severe physical and psychological injuries. After the guns have been 'silenced' and treaties signed, countries often undergo an extensive transitional process where affected governments and their citizens move from a history of trauma and pain towards a future of lasting peace, justice and reconciliation. This process is known as transitional justice (TJ) and involves holding perpetrators accountable for war crimes, and providing victims with justice while attempting to right past wrongs that may have potentially led to unrest.

While many transitional justice mechanisms in the continent are centered around institutional and legal reforms, the aspect of mental health here is often overlooked or saved for 'later'. This is of great concern, considering that the trauma of war also leaves deep psychological scars on victims and the perpetrators. Some of these scars manifest physically in the form of crying spells, disruptive sleep, suicidal attempts or substance abuse while others, like memory loss, intrusive thoughts and paranoia, remain unseen.

Youth under the age of 30 account for 70% of the Sub-Saharan African population [1]. Expectedly, the 2019 African Union Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP) highlights children and youth as essential population groups to consider in transitional justice processes. This recent involvement of young people in transitional justice is also because children and youth are often the most exposed to conflict and its ramifications either as victims or as forced perpetrators.

Untreated trauma amongst affected youth, can hinder reconciliation efforts and perpetuate cycles of violence, hindering a country's ability to rebuild and move forward. That being said, integrating mental health support into transitional justice strategies that are inclusive of the youth is key to fostering sustainable healing and peace.

The data collected by Impunity Watch (IW) and the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) from 4 countries as part of their collaborative research project[2] show that African youth understand the importance of prioritising mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in their daily lives and also in times of crises such as armed conflict. Therefore, greater efforts must be made to create spaces for the youth within their communities to share their perspectives and insights on how the integration of mental health and psychosocial support into transitional justice should take place. This can be facilitated through focus group discussions, interviews, policy dialogues, etc., where the youth can collectively listen in and collaborate on ideas and recommendations which would help shape the MHPSS integration onto TJ to take a more youthful approach. Such data from the youth will also add relevance and improve the applicability of toolkits and guidelines on the integration of MHPSS to local transitional justice work.

Accountability is an essential pillar of transitional justice. It is imperative for those who have committed atrocious human rights violations to be convicted and face justice – not only to restore law and order but also to improve the public's trust in the State and its justice system. Nonetheless, legal proceedings of this nature can become triggering for youth survivors and witnesses of these crimes, bringing painful traumatic memories and worsening pre-existing mental health issues. To resolve this, extensive psychosocial services must be readily available for youth to utilize throughout the legal proceedings and beyond. These can be in the form of brief individual counselling before and after court proceedings for stress debriefing, local support groups consisting of young war survivors and long-term therapeutic services for survivors and their families after conviction and sentencing. Such interventions ensure that critical transitional justice measures uphold accountability while protecting the emotional well-being of young survivors.

All this will require governments to take a leading role in the interweaving of youth mental health support into the giant-sized fabric of transitional justice. This must begin with States understanding that conflict-stricken youth are aware of an essential element needed for their normal functioning – accessible mental health support for all who need it. In addition, governments must invest in MHPSS interventions and resources that involve encouraging a stronger presence of qualified mental health practitioners within communities and broadening indigenous MHPSS programmes that will sufficiently reach both urban and rural communities affected by conflict. It is often here that young people are exposed to the severity of armed conflict and have limited constructive outlets to process and express trauma.

Lastly, the active involvement of the youth in the integration of mental health into transitional justice mechanisms is a crucial step towards healing past wounds and forging ahead towards a peaceful future. The inclusion of mental health and psychosocial support in this regard allows governments and societies to provide necessary spaces for healing and redress, breaking the cycle of violence and creating sustainable peace. In the end, transitional justice without robust mental health interventions is similar to applying a strip bandage to a gaping wound in the minds and hearts of many young people affected by armed conflict and violence.

[1] United Nations (2023). Young People's Potential, the Key to Africa's Sustainable Development, https://www.un.org/ohrlls/news/young-people%E2%80%99s-potential-key-africa%E2%80%99s-sustainable-development

[2] CSVR & Impunity Watch (2023). The role of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in transitional justice – Perspectives from African youth in DRC, Mali, Burundi and South Sudan, https://csvr.org.za/the-role-of-mental-health-and-psychosocial-support-mhpss-in-transitional-justice-perspectives-from-african-youth-in-drc-mali-burundi-and-south-sudan/

Leading for Healing Programme for the Social Justice Sector

CSVR — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 07:35:04 +0000

CSVR invites you to attend a programme briefing on Friday 14th October 2022 for potential participants in our Leading for Healing capacity and resilience building programme.
This programme, made possible by the Ford Foundation, seeks to offer existing grantees of the foundation and other organizations in the social justice sector, an opportunity to engage in a 10–month course of healing and resilience building workshops and facilitated sessions.
Using a blended model the programme will draw from coaching, mentorship and psychological/psychosocial modalities to facilitate the healing, growth and personal development of participants, through a variation of group workshops, individual coaching sessions and mentorship sessions

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
The programme is open to new leaders, upcoming leaders and black womxn leaders in the social justice sector, to be accommodated in three separate streams. It is ideal for those wanting to heal from personal trauma, become more effective leaders and team members, deepen resilience practices and improve the functioning of their organization.

HOW CAN YOU PARTICIPATE?
1. Attend the virtual briefing on the 14th of October 2022 at 10:00am (SAST) where detailed information and application forms will be provided
2. Please register using the link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0qf-6upj8oG9FHshM0_B1RLc5UPwaXbZcO
3. Complete the online application form after the briefing webinar

Supported by:
WHAT WILL THE PROGRAMME COVER, AND WHAT IS THE REQUIRED COMMITMENT?
STREAM 1: Programme for new Leaders
1. Group sessions over the duration of 2022 and 2023
2. Individual coaching sessions over the duration of 2022 and 2023
3. Counselling sessions
STREAM 2: Program for upcoming leaders
1. Group sessions over the duration of 2022 and 2023
2. Counselling sessions
STREAM 3: Programme for Black womxn leaders:
1. Group mentorship sessions over the duration of 2022 and 2023
2. Individual mentorship sessions over the duration of 2022 and 2023
3. Counselling sessions
4. 1 x 3-day retreat in 2023

All streams will have written submissions that will require at least 8 hours monthly.

WHAT IS THE COST?

The programme is fully sponsored, but places are limited. Interested candidates are invited to apply after the webinar briefing and before 20th October 2022 at 17:00 SAST via the application link which will be provided.
For queries, email: amwaikambo@csvr.org.za