The last two decades, a variety of –mostly donor-led– initiatives have aimed at ‘localizing’ land tenure registration, specifically in conflict-affected settings, making the registration of land rights more accessible to rural smallholders. In such settings, land registration is seen not just as instrumental to tenure security and economic development; but also to prevent land-related violence and promote sustainable peace. However, to reach such goals proves extremely complex. This paper explores discourses and practices of localized land tenure registration in Burundi and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). More specifically, we explore how these efforts are marked by the absence of reliable state action, by institutional competition, and by the risk of elite capture. We organize our discussion around three common assumptions about land registration interventions: that they will 1) contribute to clarifying and protecting land rights; 2) help the most tenure insecure, notably women, to strengthen their rights to land; and 3) prevent disputes. Based on our findings from Burundi and the eastern DRC we suggest that the expectations of registration efforts need to be tempered. On the one hand, localized land tenure registration risks to become part of the dynamics that reproduce conflict. On the other hand, it is not able, on its own, to create the more fundamental changes necessary for a sustainable peace.

过去二十年，各种（主要是捐助者主导的）举措旨在将土地保有权登记“本地化”，特别是在受冲突影响的地区，使农村小农更容易进行土地权利登记。在这种情况下，土地登记不仅被视为有助于保有权保障和经济发展，而且还有助于促进经济发展。还要防止与土地有关的暴力并促进可持续和平。然而，事实证明，实现这些目标极其复杂。本文探讨了布隆迪和刚果民主共和国东部地区土地保有权登记的论述和实践。更具体地说，我们探讨了这些努力的特点是缺乏可靠的国家行动、制度竞争和精英俘获的风险。我们围绕有关土地登记干预措施的三个常见假设组织我们的讨论：它们将 1) 有助于澄清和保护土地权利；2) 帮助最缺乏保有权保障的人，特别是妇女，加强其土地权；3) 防止纠纷。根据我们对布隆迪和刚果民主共和国东部的调查结果，我们建议需要降低对登记工作的期望。一方面，地方性的土地权属登记有可能成为引发冲突的动力的一部分。另一方面，它本身无法创造可持续和平所需的更根本的变革。