The Impact of Post-Conflict Peacebuilding Mechanisms on Reconciliation in Africa: A Case Study of Côte d’Ivoire

Abstract

The dissertation analyzed how adopting multiple peacebuilding mechanisms and their implementation affects national reconciliation and social cohesion in post-conflict societies in Africa, with Côte d’Ivoire as a case study. In what ways do multiple peacebuilding mechanisms and their implementation affect reconciliation? First, I sought to discover how adopting liberal and indigenous peacebuilding mechanisms could impact reconciliation. My findings show that a hybrid peace-building approach would provide synergy because both mechanisms have their strengths and weaknesses. Second, Côte d’Ivoire adopted both retributive and restorative justice concurrently, and I wanted to examine the impact on reconciliation and whether sequencing them would have provided a different outcome. Third, this research analyzed whether reconciliation challenges stem from the fact that the justice and amnesty processes are naturally incompatible or were due to poor implementation. Overall, there is elusive peace and reconciliation in Côte d’Ivoire even though the country adopted the holistic approach of implementing trials, truth commissions, reparations, and amnesties. My findings demonstrate that the problem was due to poor implementation and not the simultaneous adoption of the mechanisms. However, some participants preferred sequencing and the political will to apply the basic tenet of each mechanism.