VIOLENCES ÉLECTORALES, CARUS DE SOULÈVEMENT ET REVENDICATIONS EN RDC: RÉFLEXION CRITIQUE DE LA PROVINCE DU MANIEMA ENTRE 2006 ET 2023

Abstract

This study examines the systemic persistence of electoral violence in the Maniema province of the Democratic Republic of Congo between 2006 and 2023. Drawing upon Tilly’s (2003) sociology of collective action and Young’s (1994) "African Colonial State" paradigm, the research demonstrates that violence is not an accidental pathology but a rational political interaction designed to compensate for the erosion of the state’s monopoly on legitimate violence (Weber, 1971). An analysis of 342 incidents reveals a predominance of legitimization violence (41%) and exclusion violence (37%), while predatory violence (22%) shows a rigorous statistical correlation ($r = 0.69$) with gold export peaks. The findings highlight that the electoral arena is exploited to secure mining rents, transforming legitimate "grievances" into a smokescreen for economic "greed," as modeled by Collier and Hoeffler (2004). Given a judicial admissibility rate for electoral disputes of only 3%, the study recommends a multidimensional crisis exit strategy based on transitional justice, the demilitarization of electoral processes, and enhanced mineral resource traceability.