Africa

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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Small-scale cross-border trade plays an important role in supporting communities in the Great Lakes region of Africa. This trade provides essential foodstuffs for communities and an income for some 45,000 traders and their families. Yet it faces considerable barriers.

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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South Sudan’s independence in 2011 marked the end of a prolonged period of conflict with its northerly neighbour Sudan. In our new report, we assess the opportunities for building a more positive peace in the new country.

Marking the International Day of Peace, International Alert today released ‘Fractured Lives’, a photographic essay and film 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.

Through the photos of Carol Allen Storey, we explore the long-term effects of war and the complexity of reconciling a nation.

Marking the International Day of Peace, on 21st September International Alert released ‘Fractured Lives’, a photographic essay (below) and film (watch here) on the remarkable stories of Rwandan people who are still working hard to rebuild their lives and their divided society, 18 years after the 1994 genocide.

The photos by award-winning photojournalist Carol Allen Storey highlight the long-term effects of war and the complexity of reconciling a nation.

Ce rapport de recherche analyse les dynamiques du petit commerce transfrontalier au niveau des 3 frontières à l’Est de la RDC et entre le Burundi et le Rwanda, et propose des actions pour l’amélioration de ce commerce afin de faire avancer le pouvoir économique des femmes et, par là même, contribuer à la paix et à la sécurité dans la région.

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Annexes

This report analyses the dynamics of small cross-border trade in eastern DRC, and between Burundi and Rwanda, and ways to improve  such trade in order to advance the economic power of women, contributing to peace and security in the region.

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Annexes (in French)

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

library: 

Fractured Lives: a photographic essay on the aftermath of genocide

South Sudan emerged as an independent nation in 2011 after decades of war. One year later, Alert presents the findings of a wide-ranging Peace and Conflict Assessment. Commissioned by Pact and funded by the Department for International Development, the assessment looks beyond the immediate problems faced by South Sudanese, and proposes a long-term approach to building peace.

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International Alert started working with local organisations in Uganda’s oil regions in 2008, to promote greater awareness and understanding about the oil sector.

Improved information flow between local communities, the government and oil companies is crucial in promoting transparency in the sector, minimising the harmful potential for escalating rumours and fears.

In support of its wider objective to harness the potential of oil to contribute to peace and development in Uganda, Alert has therefore jointly signed the following statement:

International Alert and the Delegation of the European Union to Liberia have announced a two-year initiative aimed at strengthening the voice of Liberia’s civil society organisations (CSOs) in the national reconciliation process.

The project, entitled “Strengthening Civil Society’s Voice in National Reconciliation and Dealing with the Past”, aims to improve communication and understanding between communities and policymakers on the conflict risks and opportunities for long-term peace and reconciliation in Liberia.

Par la présente, nous exprimons notre inquiétude face à la reprise de la guerre dans le territoire de Rutshuru, Province du Nord Kivu, entre les Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo (FARDC) et le groupe armé M23. Les affrontements en cours risquent de raviver les tensions entre les communautés ethniques du Kivu et avoir un impact négatif sur le développement économique, dont le petit commerce transfrontalier qui fait vivre des centaines de milliers de personnes dans la région, de part et d’autres des frontières.

The signatories of this statement hereby express our concern regarding the return to war in the territory of Rutshuru in North Kivu, between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and the armed group, M23. The on-going violence could possibly revive tensions between ethnic communities in the Kivus as well as have a negative impact on economic development, including on cross-border trade by small traders which sustains hundreds of thousands of persons in the region on both sides of the border.