The title of this book prepares the reader for an account of nearly 16 years of political change in the Democratic Republic of Congo. From 1990 to the 2006 elections the process of democratization went hand in hand with bullets. Political violence could jeopardize the process any time. To hold onto power, violence was necessary. To snatch a patch of liberty, violence was indispensable. War served a tool to establish a democratic order.

In this book, the authors provide an objective analysis of the Congolese crisis and the peace process and assess the post-conflict situation from demographic, educational, economic and judicial points of view. Furthermore, they examine the Constitution of the transition, the position of the army in this constitution, the contribution of civil society to building democracy and the Congolese population’s perception of the democratic process.