Congolese women: peacemakers for security and development in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Congolese women have undertaken positive actions for peace, national reconciliation and human rights for the socio-economic development of the DR Congo. Women's organisations conducted with brightness their mission to the grassroots populations, campaigned for peace and reconciliation, braving arrest, torture and even death.

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Congolese women have played a leadership role in moving forward the peace process between the resistance armed groups, the DRC civil society and the transitional government of DRC. Women lobbied national and international authorities in order to make the dialogue more inclusive with non-armed opposition leaders, a wide range of civil society delegates from all 11 provinces, and militia commanders.

With the support of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), Femme Africa Solidarity (FAS), in cooperation with Women as Partners for Peace in Africa (WOPPA),severalfora were organised, including a meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2002. This enabled women from across the DRC and representatives of the warring parties, government and civil society, to develop a common position prior to the start of the negotiations known as The Inter-Congolese Dialogue of Sun City in South Africa. Empowered civil society women were able to participate to the full conduct of peace negotiations. During the summit, Congolese women found that, however deep their differences, they shared an overriding desire for peace and a common determination to remove constitutional and legislative obstacles to women's equality after the war. They joined a declaration and programme of actions calling for an immediate cease-fire, the inclusion of women and their concerns in all aspects of the peace process, and adoption of a 30 percent quota for women at all levels of government in any final settlement.

The women also announced the formation of a pan-Congolese women's caucus to support the peace process and continue to lobby for their full participation. They used a strong press strategy to keep pressure on the parties and inform the Congolese people of what was happening. They prepared technical documents and position papers for the women delegates to use in the meetings, and met with the delegation leaders to try to be part of the decision-making.

Although women have never stopped advocating and lobbying for UN Security Council Resolution 1325, as well as for parity in the national assembly, campaigning on national media, women remain underrepresented in the newly elected institutions, the established parliament and government in the DRC. Although peace agreements were signed, the conflict and the ongoing situation of discrimination, exclusion and impunity caused by insecurity and war, abuses, violence and poverty has further disempowered many women and left the majority labelled as unable to participate, perceived as subordinate or objects and underestimated.

Sadly, in one hand the contributions of women peacemakers in DRC have gone largely unnoticed, in the other hand, Congolese women face the major dilemma of gender roles in peace building, reconstruction and conflict prevention.

Therefore it is important to highlight that the Congolese women's role goes beyond peace activism and victimhood; regardless of past failures and an uncertain future, Congolese women are seeking their rights to full participation and governance.

Congolese women have never been deterred; they have remained courageous and continue to assume their responsibilities for survival, health, education and the environment as basic needs required to challenge poverty. Many Congolese women's associations continue to advocate for the important role played in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and promote their positive contribution made and what they could further achieve in post-conflict reconstruction and peace consolidation.

The efforts made by the national, regional and international networks lobbying for Congolese women have been outstanding and are encouraging as they strengthened voices calling and asking for better security for women living in conflict and post-conflict areas, enabling their participation at the peace negotiating table and supporting gender mainstreaming in peace support operations. Many Congolese women have also welcomed the new UN SC Resolution 1820, as UN SC Resolution 1325 has strengthened Congolese women's claims to a seat at the peace table and protection, as they strongly address obstacles to the rights of women to security and their full participation as peacemakers.

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Given this positive and encouraging portrayal of courageous Congolese women, it is very important that their voices continue to be heard and taken into consideration at the international level. Their work needs to be recognised and respected at the national and international level. These women need to receive adequate institutional support from international organisations as well as specific help and assistance to accompany and empower them for the long term.

Therefore, at the international level, Congolese members of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) have built a solidarity chain with women's rights activists and female politicians in the DRC, enabling them to network efficiently. A WILPF group was set in the DRC to enable grass-roots women to build more alliances and to have their voice better heard at an international level to lobby for an end to the conflicts which generate sexual violence, as well as for the strengthening and independence of the judicial system in the DRC. They are also lobbying for some financial support for the development of a DRC National Action plan for UN SCR 1325.

Women's participation must remain a priority for sustainable peace and socio-economic development in the DRC. The government, national and international politicians/actors must demonstrate the political will required to end the war and restore peace in the DRC.

RELATED ARTICLE: Target for plunder amid proxy war

Located in the center of Africa astride the equator, the Democratic Republic of Congo is the size of Western Europe. Its immense natural resources, which could provide for the nation's development, have made it a target for plunder. It was a Belgian colony until 1960. The first elected prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, was imprisoned and assassinated in 1961 by Western powers, which then supported a dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko, for 33 years. These powers (primarily the United States, UK and Belgium) planned to Balkanize the Congo, an agenda put on hold during the cold war. A proxy war waged over the past 10 years has taken more than 5 million lives and set the stage for new efforts to split the DR Congo into easily exploited regions.

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Sources: Marie Louise Pambu in panel at the November 2008 WILPF board meeting in Geneva and www.friendsofthecongo.org.

RELATED ARTICLE: Coltan--fueling the violence

Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and their proxy militias exploit the mineral resources of DR Congo in order to purchase armaments and maintain their control. The most profitable resource is coltan, a mineral containing the metals niobium (columbium) and tantalum. The DRC possesses 80 percent of the world's coltan.

Coltan is processed by firms in the United States, Germany, Belgium and elsewhere to be made into capacitors, which are then sold to Nokia, Motorola, Compaq, Alcatel, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Lucent, Ericsson and Sony for use in products ranging from cell phones to anything using computer chips.

Marie Louise Pambu says, 'We don't need the aid groups or anyone coming in to help us. Just keep the weapons from entering our country.' One way is to track and control the foreign exploiters of the Congo's resources. The UN Security Council in 2001 called for a boycott of coltan from the DRC based on a report by panel of experts on the illegal exploitation of natural resources. Report of the Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, United Nations Security Council, 12 April 2001