Make Every Woman Count
herself and the community members to the things that united them, thus obtaining acceptance for herself and her group in the community.1877 The community leaders mistrusted the women’s intentions because of the polarised communal dynamics. The women targeted the community’s traditional leaders – the Maiangwa – but faced initial resistance from male Christian leaders. After engaging the leaders in respectful dialogue, the women were told to go back home and wait for a response but none came. Amina and her group kept returning to the leaders until they received access to reach out to the community. The Peace Mentors, led by Amina, targeted women in the community and youth leaders through dialogue, with the message that it was better to stay in peace together than to remain segregated. They engaged women and men to talk about the increased fear and mistrust among the community members, emphasising the need for unity because, if they stayed separated, the attacks would continue. They emphasised that Christians and Muslims alike faced similar challenges and needed to value having a relationship. They set up recurring visits and dialogue and encouraged communication on concerns before they resulted in violence. After about a year, the Women Peace Mentors started seeing positive results. Five years later, Muslims now freely visit Jenta Adamu, interact with community members and leave safely, although they are yet to resettle there. Amina’s NGO is implementing a project in Jenta Adamu working with girls on SGBV, which allows for more interactions between Muslims and Christians. Amina’s organisation enjoys good relationships with community leaders, who visit the organisation’s members in their predominantly Muslim location. The Women Initiative for Sustainable Community Development Girls has been operating an SGBV project in Angwan Rogo community, which is predominantly Muslim, and bringing them together with the predominately Christian girls in Jenta Adamu to interact and co-exist peacefully. The Women Peace Mentors continually encourage the girls to accept their differences and use them to learn from each other. The traditional council of Jenta Adamu for the first time appointed two women in 2017 as a result of lobbying by the Women Peace Mentors. The latter explained that the cultural and religious crisis in the area required both men and women to be involved in decision-making and conflict resolution. This is crucial when dealing with intracommunal conflict and incidences of SGBV that have caused conflict in the community. They also explained that youth in the community listen more to women than men, so women play an essential role. One of the two women leaders appointed became a peer educator of Women Initiative for Sustainable Community Development and continues to reach out to other women in the community. The institutionalisation of women’s representation and participation in this decision-making body bodes well for inclusive peace-building and conflict resolution. Sustaining trust and confidence between Muslims and Christians despite their real and perceived differences remains a challenge as fear-mongering rumours continue to circulate within communities about the “others.” An essential step towards solidarity has been for the Women Initiative for Sustainable Community Development to dispel rumours through dialogue between religious communities. It is also important to recognise that victims of conflict on both sides of the ethno-religious divide can be resourceful resolving conflicts and building lasting peace.
Advancing Women’s Peace and Security in the Great Lakes Region: Case Study of Burundi Crisis of 2015 Soon after it gained its independence from Belgium, Burundi plunged into a long-lasting and escalating pattern of ethnic violence.1878 In 1993, war erupted following the country’s first elected leader’s assassination by military members.1879 As a result, between 1993 and 2005, an estimated 300,000 people died,1880 and more than a million were displaced.1881 In 2000, the Arusha Peace Agreement was signed, ending the war.1882 This Agreement was highly influenced by women, who participated in the consultation and negotiation process as delegates, mediators
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