Rwanda

An innovative project in Rwanda is helping to heal old wounds by bringing genocide survivors, ex-combatants, ex-prisoners and the youth together through dialogue.

L’un des résultats positifs des processus de paix et des transitions politiques dans la région des Grands Lacs en Afrique ces dix à quinze dernières années, a été la représentation et la participation accrues des femmes dans l’arène politique et dans la sphère publique. Cette avancée majeure pour les femmes a été obtenue essentiellement par l’adoption de systèmes de quotas et par la cooptation.

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The people of Rwanda have come a long way since the 1994 genocide that took nearly a million lives. Yet the stories captured in our Fractured Lives photo exhibition show that survivors, ex-combatants and ex-prisoners are still struggling to rebuild their lives.

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Ce rapport analyse l’intégration d’une perspective genre dans le  processus de décentralisation au Rwanda et son impact sur la participation des femmes au niveau de la gouvernance locale et sur le plan national.

Promouvoir l’égalité des sexes dans les processus de décentralisation et dans la gouvernance locale

The Great Lakes region has in the last ten to fifteen years seen an increase in women’s representation and involvement in politics and the public sphere, a positive outcome of the region’s peace processes and political transitions.

One of the positive outcomes of recent peace processes in Africa’s Great Lakes region has been the increased involvement of women in the public sphere, primarily thanks to the adoption of quota systems for female representation. Women have had some success in influencing official peace processes in the region, ensuring provisions for women’s rights were made. They have been actively engaged as both voters and candidates in elections, but few are elected.

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This report looks at the reconciliation and reintegration of genocide survivors, former combatants, ex-prisoners and youth in Rwanda, and what lessons can be learned from the experience.

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A photographic essay on the incredible stories of Rwandan people who are still working hard  to rebuild their lives and their divided society 18 years after the 1994 genocide. These photos by award-winning photojournalist Carol Allen Storey put the spotlight on the long-term effects of war and the complexity of reconciling a nation. 

photography © Carol Allen Storey for International Alert

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Fractured Lives: a photographic essay on the aftermath of genocide

As we look to summer, it is hard not to reflect on what an eventful spring it has been on the international stage.

From a historic revolution in Egypt to the violent civil conflict that has erupted in Libya – the need for peace is back in the spotlight.

Many survivors of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in particular widows and orphans, have been unable to build new families, and their isolation is an important factor in their inability to re-establish a viable livelihood. Ex-combatants, many of whom are former child or young soldiers who have spent more than a decade in the military, are frequently ill-equipped to deal with insertion into the civilian economy.

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International Alert recently attended the 54th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women which undertook a 15-year review and appraisal of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA).

In partnership with the Eastern Africa Sub-Regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women (EASSI), Alert organised a panel discussion to present the preliminary results of a joint research project on the nature and impact of women’s political participation currently being carried out in the Great Lakes Region of Africa.

International Alert recently published a report on Refugee return to eastern DRC, a discussion document that explores and warns of the dangers posed by the issue of returning refugees from Rwanda to North Kivu in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Le petit commerce de produits vivriers (légumes, fruits etc.) entre la Province du Nord Kivu de la RDC (Goma) et la Province de l’Ouest du Rwanda (Gisenyi) est très important. Le petit
commerce transfrontalier est défini comme « activité commerciale génératrice de revenus dont la valeur des transactions commerciales journalières ne dépasse pas 100 dollars américains (USD) par commerçant ».

La Traversée: Petit Commerce et Amélioration des relations transfrontalières entre Goma (RD Congo) et Gisenyi (Rwanda).

The small-scale cross-border trade in agricultural products between DRC and Rwanda constitutes a survival economy sustaining thousands of people on both sides of the border. This report analyses this trade between the towns of Goma (DR Congo) and Gisenyi (Rwanda) and the relationship between Congolese and Rwandese women traders, in order to understand the impact that improving this trade would have on good neighborly relations, peace and security.

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