The paper examines the nature and impacts of two information intervention radio programmes broadcast on the radio service of the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Rwandan Hutus and Congolese autochthons in South Kivu listened to either of the two programmes for 13 months. At the end of the treatment, participants’ perceptions of barriers to peace; descriptive and prescriptive interventions; victimhood and villainity; opportunities for personal development and civic engagement; and knowledge of repatriation processes were assessed.

The study concludes that international media intervention programmes that provide robust information and a platform for objective analyses within a multiple narrative and participatory framework can enhance greater engagement with nascent democratic reforms, positive perception of long term opportunities for personal development and empathy with the ethnic Other.