‘A conflict does not rot’: State and civil society responses to civil war offences in Mozambique

Article

Igreja, Victor and Skaar, Elin. 2013. "‘A conflict does not rot’: State and civil society responses to civil war offences in Mozambique." Nordic Journal of Human Rights. 31 (2 (Special edition)), pp. 149-175.
Article Title

‘A conflict does not rot’: State and civil society responses to civil war offences in Mozambique

ERA Journal ID211145
Article CategoryArticle
AuthorsIgreja, Victor (Author) and Skaar, Elin (Author)
Journal TitleNordic Journal of Human Rights
Journal Citation31 (2 (Special edition)), pp. 149-175
Number of Pages27
Year2013
PublisherTaylor & Francis
Place of PublicationSweden
ISSN1891-8131
1891-814X
Web Address (URL)http://www.cmi.no/publications/4798-a-conflict-does-not-rot
Abstract

This article analyses how state and non-state actors have tried to address the human rights violations and war crimes committed during the civil war in Mozambique (1976–92). While the political elite opted for amnesty laws, and urban civil society organisations remained largely on the side-lines, in rural areas, war survivors and the post-war generations have been actively engaged in dealing with the violent past through practices commonly referred to as local justice and healing. This analysis is based on parliamentary debates, interviews with state and non-state agents, and longitudinal field data from the rural areas of Gorongosa. It argues that while the state failed to institute accountability practices for wartime human rights violations, the ongoing vitality of local cultural practices of justice and healing have been crucial to attain accountability for certain serious wartime violations.

Keywordstransitional justice; civil war; gamba spirits; Gorongosa; human rights; local justice; Mozambique
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020489999. Other law and legal studies not elsewhere classified
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Byline AffiliationsSchool of Arts and Communication
University of Bergen, Norway
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
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