Barometer of Peace Agreements in Africa
Our Mission
The Barometer of Peace Agreements in Africa is an independent initiative dedicated to tracking, evaluating, and promoting the effective implementation of peace agreements in Africa, beginning with the Washington Peace Agreement signed between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda in June 2025.
This initiative stems from the observation that many peace agreements in Africa have failed, not because of their content, but due to the lack of rigorous monitoring of their implementation. Without an objective mechanism to measure compliance with commitments, each party remains free to claim it is honoring the agreement or to accuse the other of having violated it.
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Our mission is to provide reliable, timely, and evidence-based insights on the progress of peace commitments made by the parties to the agreement. Using the Peace Agreement Implementation Tool (PAIMT), the initiative offers transparent assessments, supports accountability, and informs stakeholders, including belligerents, civil society, international partners, and local communities, about key milestones, challenges, and opportunities in the peace process.
Why It Matters ​
The Barometer of Peace Agreements in Africa provides significant benefits to all stakeholders of a peace agreement:
For the mediators or facilitators:
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It enhances transparency and the overall credibility of the peace process;
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It helps in mobilizing informed public support and countering disinformation; and
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It serves as a neutral repository of progress updates and implementation challenges.
For the signatory countries:
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It offers a reliable third-party evaluation tool to showcase their commitment and actions;
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It provides visibility to positive and constructive steps, including regional cooperation efforts; and
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It engages their populations and reassures international stakeholders of their intentions.
For the civil society and public:
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It empowers communities to understand and support the peace process;
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It delivers real-time, accessible updates; and
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It opens avenues for local engagement, feedback, and accountability.
A Complementary Platform
The Barometer of Peace Agreements in Africa is designed with deep respect for, and as complementary to, the official peace monitoring mechanisms established under a peace agreement. Its purpose is not to duplicate or interfere with these official structures but to strengthen and amplify their efforts by fostering greater transparency, building trust, and enhancing public engagement.
Our Team
The team working on the Barometer of Peace Agreements in Africa consists of independent experts and researchers affiliated with U.S. universities, including Emory University, Howard University, and Albany State University:
Dr. Roger-Claude Liwanga
Dr. Roger-Claude Liwanga designed the Peace Agreement Implementation Measurement Tool (PAIMT) to evaluate the implementation of the Washington Peace Agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. ​
This tool builds on his prior experience analyzing the implementation of peace agreements in Africa, particularly in Mali.
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Since 2017, he has taught Advanced International Negotiations and Child Protection & International Human Rights at Emory University School of Law, as well as Criminal Justice courses at Albany State University.
His previous academic roles include teaching International Law of War at Suffolk University Law School in 2016 and serving as a fellow researcher at Harvard University’s FXB Center for Health and Human Rights from 2014 to 2023, where he focused on issues related to human trafficking and forced labor. Dr. Liwanga has also served as a consultant for The Carter Center, contributing to programs focused on conflict resolution, human rights, democracy, and good governance in several African countries. He has likewise worked as an international expert for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on anti-corruption projects in the DRC.
An author, Dr. Liwanga has published a book, a book chapter, and numerous scholarly articles in leading academic journals, as well as strategic “white papers” on the DRC peace process that have influenced political and diplomatic debates. His doctoral dissertation, "The Role of the International Court of Justice and Regional Human Rights Courts in Addressing Gross Human Rights Violations Committed During Inter-State Armed Conflicts: Case Study DRC v. Uganda, and DRC v. Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda", reflects his ongoing research in transitional justice, international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and the legitimacy of international tribunals. His analyses have appeared in major international media outlets, including Jeune Afrique, Deutsche Welle, Le Soir, Global Post, CNN, and Cape Times. Notably, one of his research works was cited in a U.S. Federal Court ruling (Jill and Adam Trower v. Anthony Blinken, 2022).
Prof. Darin Johnson
Darin Johnson is Professor of Law at Howard University School of Law, where he teaches courses in international human rights law, international criminal law and national security law. He received his B.A. from Yale College and his J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he was awarded the Kaufman public interest award and the Heyman public service fellowship.
Immediately following law school, he served as an Honors attorney in the Office of the General Counsel to the Secretary of the Army at the Pentagon. He received several awards for his work and completed his military service with the rank of Captain.
Following the Pentagon, he practiced law in the U.S. State Department Legal Adviser’s Office, where he advised on a wide range of international issues involving political-military, United Nations and multilateral matters. He also served as the Legal Adviser to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad during the Iraq War and served in the Office of the White House Counsel.
After the Arab Spring, Professor Johnson served as Chief of Staff to the Special Coordinator for Middle East Transitions, and he oversaw a newly created office responsible for coordinating U.S. foreign assistance to politically transitioning countries in the Middle East and North Africa. He received several Departmental honors for his work.
Professor Johnson has extensive experience consulting on projects involving peace processes, human rights and international criminal justice in Africa and the Middle East. Professor Johnson has published several academic journal articles examining political transitions and peace processes in Africa and the Middle East. He has also been the principal investigator for a think tank study examining international criminal justice in the 21st Century.
Mr. Ajith Venkatesan Bhuvana
Mr. Ajith Venkatesan Bhuvana is a Research Associate for the Barometer of Peace Agreements in Africa. He is a criminologist and strategic studies researcher currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration (with concentrations in Criminal Justice Administration) at Albany State University, where he also serves as a Graduate Research ​​​
Assistant in the Department of Criminal Justice. He previously earned a Master of Arts in Defense and Strategic Studies from the University of Madras, India.
Mr. Ajith’s professional background spans academia, law enforcement, and the private sector, including positions as Crime Data Analyst for the Tamil Nadu Police Department, Research Analyst for Pinaca Technologies, and contributor to multiple projects in international security and criminal justice. His research focuses on international relations, geopolitics, security studies, and criminology, with particular attention to conflict management, arms control, indigenous policing, and organized crime.
A recipient of the British Society of Criminology’s Postgraduate Bursary Award (2025) and other academic honors, he has published extensively, including work on migrant smuggling in the British Society of Criminology Online Journal. Skilled in QGIS, R, and Tableau, Mr. Ajith applies a data-driven approach to addressing complex security challenges at both domestic and global levels.
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