The migrant crisis of displaced populations has taken on astronomical proportions globally. In the context of sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa is one of the countries that has drawn an increasing number of displaced people or refugees from other parts of Africa. Refugees such as the Congolese, one argues, become displaced ‘subalterns’. This paper contends that recognizing the voice of such transnational subalterns allows one to see that there are levels of subaltern agency as a response to being forcibly uprooted, including having legitimate opinion/ s on what is happening back home. This paper attempts to offer a critical survey of the work done in the context of Congolese refugees to South Africa and reveals that while the extant work is extensive, it is also myopic, and shortsighted in not including the voice of the actual Congolese refugees in South Africa. The paper suggests that gaining such vital insights and perspectives from the subaltern Congolese in South Africa, will allow one to cast a more ‘grounded gaze’ on the motivations propelling South Africa’s peacebuilding efforts in the Congo. © Kamla-Raj 2015.

immigrants Empirical intervention War Africa

ethnic group survey refugee Congo forced migration peace process immigrant population