Laura Reymond-Joubin: “Peace is not just the absence of conflict, but the establishment of a viable and sustainable society”
The east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is at the epicentre of the security crisis in the Great Lakes region, and since the end of 2021 has seen the resurgence of the armed group ‘Mouvement du 23 mars’ (M23). This complex crisis has been going on for more than 20 years and is severely affecting the population. We talk to Laura Reymond-Joubin, who was posted to the Swiss embassy in the DRC as human security adviser for three years.
The Great Lakes region is one of the most densely populated in Africa. The populations of the DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Tanzania are closely linked across borders through language, culture, trade and family ties. However, disputes over land, power and resources create tensions in the region. They are rooted in a colonial past, civil wars, political instability, poor governance and interethnic tensions that have torn apart the socio-political fabric and engendered violence that has so far claimed millions of civilian victims.
More than 21 million people are in need of humanitarian aid in 2025. Conflict prevention and resolution, as well as maintaining lasting peace, are at the heart of Switzerland's commitment to peace and human rights in the region.
Laura Reymond-Joubin, could you describe your work as human security adviser for Switzerland in the DRC?
My job was to promote Swiss expertise in mediation, conflict prevention and conflict reduction. In a context marked by the presence of numerous armed groups threatening security and human rights in the east of the DRC, my main role was to make this expertise available to the actors involved in the peace processes. This meant building the capacity of political actors and local organisations to lead sustainable, inclusive peace processes. For example, I helped to bring together peace process facilitators and local organisations, with a view to facilitating the demobilisation of armed groups. Switzerland was also able to provide mediation training to Angolan representatives who were facilitating dialogue between the DRC and Rwanda.
What did your day-to-day work entail?
My work involved a great deal of analysis of the causes of conflicts and the actors involved, but also of those active in peace promotion, in order to identify how Switzerland could contribute to the prevention and reduction of violence, and to the development of dialogue processes that would lead to lasting peace. This meant meeting a wide range of people on a daily basis, including members of government, local and international organisations, local communities, diplomats, journalists and the military. This also led me to travel regularly to the east of the country, particularly to the provinces of Ituri and North and South Kivu. The realities are very different between the capital Kinshasa and the east of the DRC, some 2,000 kilometres away. Highlights included accompanying former Federal Councillor Alain Berset, during his presidential year, on his trip to the DRC in April 2024, and participating in the observation of the DRC presidential elections in December 2023.
So that meant building trust with your interlocutors on a continuing basis...
That's right. It was important for me to listen to everyone, whether they were political leaders, people directly affected by the conflict or those who had taken up arms, in order to understand their daily reality. Then, when I interacted with the government, I felt it was essential to make it clear that I was there to support them according to their needs and priorities. In that regard, Switzerland's long-standing expertise and reputation often made things easier. We are perceived as sincere, open partners who cultivate trust, all the time exercising discretion.
A human security adviser's post is generally for one year, on a renewable basis. Is that enough to have a real impact on the ground?
I was personally deployed as a human security adviser for three years. The context is very complex, and you need to have enough time to build relationships of trust to do something meaningful.
Violence against women and girls is particularly prevalent in the Great Lakes region. Since the beginning of its cooperation programme in the region, Switzerland has been committed to the active participation of women in conflict prevention, peace processes and reconciliation. How would you assess your achievements in this respect?
In my experience, women and girls are the main victims of conflict, but they are also the first to take action to contribute to peace. In the course of my work, I met many women who went to the leaders of armed groups to demand protection for civilians. In Ituri, for example, the organisation Femmes en Action pour le Développement Multisectoriel created spaces of trust and dialogue where members of rival armed groups and the local population were able to talk to each other. This contributed directly to a reduction in clashes, the freeing of hostages and facilitating access for humanitarian aid. Thanks to my access to diplomats and political decision-makers, I was able to raise the profile of these women and their activities. For example, I facilitated a meeting between 40 women from the DRC and other countries in the region and the president of Angola, as part of his mediation efforts between the DRC and Rwanda. This bringing together of different parties is important and enables decision-makers to better understand the reality of the population and to integrate their concerns into peace processes.
The role of a human security adviser in conflict zones is first and foremost to promote dialogue between the various key actors on the ground. In this respect, every dialogue is a dialogue for human rights. Would you agree?
My job was really to reinforce a ‘human security’ approach. Putting people at the centre also means tackling the issue of their rights. The absence of the rule of law is a fertile breeding ground for violence. As part of the peace promotion programme, we support the work of Trial, an organisation that assists victims of human rights violations and breaches of international law, and trains judges to prosecute war crimes. Bringing these crimes to justice helps to prevent new cycles of violence fuelled by feelings of revenge, and thus to protect human rights.
One of the distinctive features of Swiss human security advisers deployed in the region is that Switzerland is perceived as a reliable, neutral and independent partner, recognised for its direct action on the ground and the pragmatism and flexibility of its action. Was that your experience?
The Swiss government's aim has always been to find African solutions to African problems. Being an outsider from the West can sometimes give rise to mistrust, the idea that our analysis of the situation is biased or that our actions conceal a different agenda. That said, we've had countless opportunities to meet people that we wouldn't have had without our Swiss credentials. Switzerland's neutrality implies a certain transparency and the absence of hidden agendas. We are in a privileged position, but we have to cultivate that trust on a daily basis.
The UN presence in the Great Lakes region remains considerable. MONUSCO, to which Switzerland contributes civilian, military and police personnel, is the world's largest peacekeeping operation, but its mandate is under pressure. Do you think that the role of the peacekeepers is poorly understood in the region?
MONUSCO has been present for a very long time, but its mandate is still poorly understood. Despite its presence on the ground for more than 20 years, the conflict continues. Furthermore, the mission does not fully meet the population's expectations in terms of protecting civilians. However, the mission supports and complements the state and is not intended to replace it. In Ituri, for example, the people I spoke to often explained to me that MONUSCO made it possible to reduce the violence and also to give visibility to the abuses committed. Since MONUSCO withdrew from South Kivu at the government's request, it has become very difficult to gain access to isolated areas, where people are most vulnerable, and therefore to learn about possible violations.
You were in the region when the conflict on the Rwandan border escalated in January 2025. Is the outbreak of a new crisis considered a failure for a human security adviser in charge of peace promotion?
I was actually in Goma two days before the M23 group entered the town. The conflict had already been going on for three years and the situation was already bad, but I didn't expect it to deteriorate so drastically. When you work to promote peace, you have to be prepared to face many setbacks and obstacles. Much of the progress made previously was inevitably lost in January, and I'm thinking in particular of the war criminals who escaped from prison. However, the fruits of other efforts have remained intact. In particular, I was impressed by the resilience of the local communities where our partners are working. Their work in creating spaces for dialogue has helped to maintain social cohesion, despite tensions and an increase in hate speech. So in that respect, the efforts of the past are never in vain.
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