AFRICA-WOMEN: Peace and Women's Political Voices are Vital

DAKAR, Nov 23 (IPS) - Jeanne Martin Cisse of Senegal, , Sylvie Guinigui of Burundi, Francisca Lucas Peireira of Guinea-Bissau, and Adelaide Tambo of South Africa have many stories of the sacrifice, courage, and leadership demanded from them during liberation struggles in their countries.

These veterans gathered Monday night with 16 other women leaders to share experiences during a political tribune held to parallel the opening here of the Fifth African Regional Conference on Women.

They concluded that the most urgent task for Africans is to resolve their conflicts and reestablish stability.

To reach this goal, participants called for the establishment of a group of women leaders for peace in Africa that would pressure governments and political parties and shape public opinion to support direct women's participation in conflict resolution processes.

"In a world where wars are men made, it's time for international and regional organisations to make women contribute systematically in commissions for conflict resolution", offered Jeanne Martin Cisse, who was a member of the Senegalese Democratic Union, which fought for independence from France, and who is one of the founders of the Pan-African Organisation of Women, which was established to assist liberation movements on the continent.

Sylive Guingui, former prime minister of Burundi, was acting president during the October 1993 intertribal massacres that followed the assassination of the first democratically elected president, Melchior Ndadaye.

"I had to find a way to stop the massacres, protect the population, reestablish economic institutions, organise refugee camps, negotiate with political parties and territorial administrations, and build a dialogue for a peace agreement."

She revealed that it was "really difficult, particularly when you are a woman whose errors are analysed with a microscope and your life is always threatened."

In a strong appeal, the former prime minister called upon the capabilities of women as mothers to speak loudly as "mothers of their nations" in order to say "enough is enough to massive massacres and destruction on our continent."

© Inter Press Service (2014) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service