Waging Peace in West Africa

Posted: 30 April 2004

by Kelley Damore

The West Africa Network of Peacebuilding is training women to mediate peace in a region struggling with conflict.

Parts of West Africa have been rife with conflict for more than 20 years. In the past two years alone, West Africa has made international news with the conflicts in Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, and Sierra Leone. Yet less-publicized instabilities also arose in Burkina Faso, The Gambia, and Guinea Bissau.

In response to the explosion of violence throughout the region, Oxfam has increased its peacebuilding initiatives. One Oxfam partner, the West Africa Network of Peacebuilding (WANEP), has taken a less conventional approach to peacebuilding: encouraging the participation of women in bringing about peace.

The fact that WANEP's approach to involve women is less conventional is exactly what makes it so essential: in chronically patriarchal West African societies, this is the only way to ensure women's needs are met. Traditional peacebuilding initiatives involve male mediators who may not address the needs of women in conflict situations. Yet in war and conflict, women typically experience the worst atrocities, including rape, forced prostitution, and mutilation. Even after the wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia, women were beaten, jailed, and accused of colluding with rebels. In Cote d'Ivoire, women were left out of the peace talks altogether.

WANEP has focused on the Casamance region in Senegal, where an intra-state and secessionist movement has caused conflict for 22 years. In conjunction with Oxfam, WANEP has developed and run training workshops for women so they can understand their importance in peace and conflict issues. In just one year, 40 women have been trained by Oxfam in skills needed to mediate conflict and mobilize other women.

These skills raise the stature of women in their communities, make them more visible in the peace process, and empower them to speak out and value their roles in society. The program also encourages women to deal proactively with conflict as it arises and to prevent it from happening in the future.

An Eye to the Future

WANEP is one Oxfam partner to keep an eye on. In the future, WANEP hopes to expand its program to Guinea Bissau and Mali. It also wants to launch the first region-wide women's radio program, Voices of Women, to air in rural locations in Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, and Mali. The program would provide a forum for women to weigh in on national and regional debates. It would also reach out to local policy makers, village chiefs, and elders to educate them on the issues of women, peace, and security.

Through radio and otherwise, WANEP and the women of West Africa promise to carry forth a frequency of peace.