The Abigail Approach as a Model for the Peacemaking in North Kivu/DRC

This study is a contextual reading of 1 Samuel 25:14-35 that attends to highlight the Abigail approach to peacemaking and its relevance to the conflict resolution in the province of North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Inculturation hermeneutic, a synchronic approach applied to the chosen text, focuses on the interaction between the context of peacemaking in the Abigail narrative and that of the pursuit of peace in North Kivu. The result of this approach is that "participative negotiations" are recommended as a suitable diplomatic means to solve North Kivu conflicts for a lasting peace. In fact, participative negotiations inspired by the Abigail strategy contrast with the diplomacy of avoidance and the competitive negotiations that have been used so far to solve conflicts in the region, but have not brought durable peace. Therefore, the strategists of peacemaking must involve first North Kivu-born population in the peacemaking process. Then, they must help thembuild mutual confidence between parties in conflict, analyse their respective needs and interests, and finally bring them to suggest suitable strategies which can lead to the true long-lasting peace.