TRIAL International

The main achievements during the project's second year include: - Eight documentation, awareness-raising and assistance missions for victims of serious crimes took place in Kasaï (4) and Kasaï-Central (4). These missions were carried out by 7 Congolese NGOs with the technical and financial support of TRIAL International. They made it possible to document 5 incidents of mass crimes, to open 2 legal proceedings and to advance several ongoing legal proceedings. - Ten judicial procedures were carried out on behalf of more than 1000 victims of grave human rights violations in the Kasaï region. The lawyers accompanied by TRIAL International brought these cases before national courts on behalf of victims. List of cases: Tshimbulu, Bana Ba Ntumba, Nsumbu, Nsabanga, Mulombodji (Kasaï-Central); Kamonia, Lukombo, Mushenge, Bakwa Kenge, Lukuaya (Kasaï). - Two provincial workshops were held in Kananga and in Tshikapa in June 2024 and one national workshop took place in July 2024 in Kinshasa, bringing together all international and national partners of the Congolese justice system to launch reflections on the future of coordination in the fight against impunity in light of the current withdrawal of MONUSCO. - 19 lawyers from the Kasaï-Central province were trained on the representation of victims of international crimes before Congolese tribunals. Regular mentoring sessions were offered to lawyers from Kasaï-central and Kasaï working on specific cases of international crimes. - One training session for 17 human rights defenders from six Congolese NGOs from the province of Kasaï on transitional justice and the documentation of gross human rights violations on the basis of international standards. Regular mentoring sessions were offered to human rights defenders from Kasaïcentral and Kasaï working on specific cases of international crimes. - 29 judicial actors (civilian and military prosecutors and judges) from Kasaï (14) and Kasaï-Central (15) were trained on transitional justice and the best practices concerning the investigation and the prosecution of the perpetrators of international crimes. -TRIAL International provided technical support to the Kasaï-Central Provincial Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (CPVJR) for the development of its strategic intervention plan. Based on this plan, TRIAL International supported the CPVJR in drafting a preliminary mapping report on international crimes and human rights violations committed in the context of the Kamuina Nsapu crisis in Kasaï-Central (2016-2018). TRIAL International also facilitated the holding of an advocacy workshop by the CPVJR with the provincial deputies of Kasaï-Central with a view to extending its mandate beyond mid-July 2024. - Signed a collaboration agreement with the National Reparations Fund for Victims of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence and Victims of Crimes against the Peace and Security of Humanity (FONAREV) and delivered a first training session to FONAREV staff. - An analysis with recommendations for improving the Inter-Institutional Commission for Victim Assistance and Reform Support (CIA-VAR) bill on the creation of specialized chambers for international crimes within Congolese jurisdictions. As of the projects mid-point, several key performance indicators, particularly the number of documentation missions conducted, the number of victims represented, the number of beneficiaries of training sessions and the number of judicial cases submitted, have already been met or are close to be met. This accelerated progress is the result of a combination of contextual and strategic factors. First, the high number of victims assisted can be attributed to the nature of some of the judicial cases supported by TRIAL International, which involved mass crimes affecting several hundred individuals. These cases, which were prioritized based on their emblematic value and evidentiary potential, naturally led to a much larger victim outreach than the initial projections, which were based on average case sizes from previous years. Second, the proactive engagement of implementing partners in the Kasaï region, particularly local NGOs and investigative authorities, played a decisive role in the rapid implementation of documentation and case-building activities. This early momentum allowed to achieve core outputs in a cost-effective manner. In addition, complementary financial and logistical contributions from partners operating in the same geographic zones helped reduce the burden on project resources, increasing overall efficiency. Finally, the strategic frontloading of documentation, training, and case submission activities in the first half of the project reflects a deliberate programming choice. These early efforts serve as the foundation for future phases of the intervention, particularly in light of the long timelines associated with judicial proceedings in the DRC. The progress made during the second year gives reason to expect that the objectives will be achieved by the end of the project. Several key performance indicators, including the number of documentation missions carried out, the number of victims represented, the number of beneficiaries of training sessions and the number of judicial files submitted, have already been or are about to be met showing that the risk of threats against, or pressure on victims or human rights defenders is well managed. Trial International has taken on board the recommendation made in the previous conclusion on performance about support for FONAREV as a means of limiting the risk of political instrumentalisation of the transitional justice process. With that in mind, Trial International signed a collaboration agreement with FONAREV in December 2024. This agreement should allow the design and implementation of joint activities for training, awareness-raising, support and assistance for victims to obtain compensation. As part of the agreement FONAREV requested TRIAL Internationals expertise for an internal training to the benefit of its staff on interviewing victims of sexual and gender-based violence. In January 2025, TRIAL International national coordinator delivered a two-day training session to FONAREV staff on how to incorporate gender in their work of access to justice and strengthen their capacities in interacting with survivors and victims of sexual and gender-based violence. During the project's second year, Trial International continued to provide training for some key stakeholders, including 19 lawyers and 29 magistrates. This new crop of trained professionals should help to reduce the risk of a lack of qualified human resources to handle cases. The political will to promote transitional justice remains in place at both national and provincial level. In July 2024, together with UN Joint Human Rights Office, TRIAL International supported the Kasaï-Central Provincial Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (CPVJR) in organizing an awareness-raising workshop for Kasaï-Central provincial deputies to obtain the renewal of its mandate expiring on mid-July 2024. For half a day, the commissioners presented to the provincial parliamentarians the mandate of the CPVJR, the progresses made, and the challenges encountered in its work since its creation in 2021, their strategic intervention plan as well as their request to modify the edict creating the CPVJR to extend its mandate. Following this workshop, the Kasaï-Central provincial assembly voted on 18 July 2024 to renew the mandate of the CPVJR for three additional years. This time, there were no budget overruns due to limited accessibility in the Kasai region. This is a good thing and shows that the partner is continuing to monitor this risk adequately. Sida should continue to follow and support, wherever possible, Trial International's efforts in the fight against impunity for serious crimes and for transitional justice. The joint dialogue and advocacy initiatives undertaken within the inter-donor group for justice and human rights could be seen as part of this work.

The general objective of the contribution is: Fighting impunity and promoting transitional justice in the Kasaï region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by improving access to justice for victims of gross human rights violations, strengthening the capacities of Congolese actors to effectively document and prosecute these crimes, and supporting the implementation of adequate and inclusive transitional justice mechanisms. Specific objectives are: 1: Improve access to justice for victims of international crimes in the Kasaï region. a) Strengthening the documentation and investigation of gross human rights violations by local NGOs and judicial actors. b) Improving access to Congolese tribunals for victims of international crimes and gross human rights violations (murder, sexual violence, torture, pillage, war crimes, crimes against humanity, etc.). c) Increasing the performance of the Congolese justice system in the prosecution of international crimes by improving coordination and collaboration among actors working with judicial authorities on the fight against impunity. 2: Strengthen the capacities of Congolese professionals who support survivors who wish to access justice. a) Strengthening the capacities of Congolese lawyers working in the Kasaï region to effectively represent victims of grave crimes before Congolese tribunals in their quest for justice and reparations. b) Strengthening the capacities of Congolese human rights defenders and NGOs active in the Kasaï region to document gross human rights violations according to international standards and best practices in order to access justice as well as to facilitate victims' participation to the judicial procedures. c) Strengthening the capacities of Congolese judicial actors (prosecutors and judges) active in the Kasaï region to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of international crimes before Congolese tribunals. 3:Support the implementation of adequate transitional justice mechanisms. a) Support the operational deployment of the Commission provinciale vérité, justice et réconciliation in Kasaï-central with the aim of attaining its objective of truth, justice and reconciliation with a victim-centered focus, consistent with international standards and best practices. b) Strengthening the capacity of civil society actors in Kasaï-central working on the different pillars of transitional justice in order to coordinate their efforts and maximise the impact of thier engagement with the Commission provinciale vérité, justice et réconciliation so as to obtain meaningful truth, justice and reparations for victims' communities.