MAHAGI MOBILIZES FOR LASTING PEACE: HISTORIC LAUNCH OF THE TERRITORIAL PEACE DIALOGUE FRAMEWORK UNDER THE NATIONAL P-DDRCS STRATEGY
Mahagi, November 10, 2025 — In a remarkable display of local ownership of the vision of the President of the Republic, His Excellency Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo—strategically carried forward by Professor Jean De Dieu Désiré Ntanga Ntita, National Coordinator of the Disarmament, Demobilization, Community Reintegration and Stabilization Program (P-DDRCS)—the territory of Mahagi has taken a decisive step in anchoring the peace process at the territorial level.
Gathered at the Mahagi Peace Memorial Center (CECOPAM), 58 representatives of the territory’s key stakeholders—including customary leaders, political and administrative authorities, and defense and security services—participated in the first day of a workshop dedicated to the formalization and installation of the Territorial Peace and P-DDRCS Support Dialogue Framework (CCPAP). Facilitated by the Provincial Coordination of P-DDRCS/Ituri, this event embodies the concrete implementation of the national strategy, with direct funding mobilized by the National Coordination.
In his opening remarks, the Military Administrator of the Territory, Colonel Jacques Disanoa, hailed a turning point toward inclusive peace rooted in community wisdom and structured dialogue. He described the CCPAP as a “Council of Elders and Stakeholders,” tasked with forging local solutions through listening, reflection, and collective action.
The workshop featured high-level technical presentations delivered by experts Nestor Balombo Tsheza and Fidèle Dramani Alio, respectively the delegate of the Provincial Coordinator and a specialist in social cohesion. Participants received in-depth training on the strategic pillars of the P-DDRCS: conflict resolution, restoration of state authority, community reintegration, economic stabilization, and peace communication. Each pillar was contextualized for Mahagi, demonstrating the alignment between national frameworks and local realities.
Among the key innovations highlighted was the central role given to communities in the reintegration and recovery process. The community-based approach—grounded in continuous dialogue, culturally rooted mediation, and intergenerational engagement—aims to break the cycles of violence in a sustainable manner.
Mahagi thus stands as a model of a community advancing toward a deeply rooted, structured peace, driven by its own population under the enlightened leadership of the P-DDRCS. This momentum, supported by both national and provincial coordinations, will be reinforced during the second day of the workshop, which will focus on the official installation of the CCPAP and the definition of its action plan.
Mahagi now joins the circle of strategic territories where peace is no longer a promise but a process underway—within the framework of restored sovereignty. This milestone marks a significant advance in the national stabilization effort and calls upon technical and financial partners to strengthen their support to ensure the full realization of commitments made on the ground.
P-DDRCS Communication Unit
