Analysis of women’s participation in peacebuilding in West Africa : the case of Sierra Leone

Abstract

The low participation of women in formal peacebuilding in Africa is a burning concern in the peace and security sphere, as these peace processes have been dominated by men. This has been ascribed to several factors such as the patriarchal culture of most African societies, the “women-as-victim” narrative and the under-reporting of informal contributions women make through their participation in peacebuilding activities. This implies a dichotomy between formal and informal peace processes, and this study argues that the non-recognition of the latter largely accounts for women’s under-representation in formal peacebuilding processes and structures in Africa. Thus, this study examined the informal roles women in West Africa have engaged in to foster peace in their communities, using Sierra Leone as a case to contextualize the argument. The study used qualitative methodology as its approach of enquiry, a case study analysis as its research design, and thematic analysis as its method of analysis to answer the main research question of what informal roles women played to advance the peacebuilding process in Sierra Leone. The radical feminist theory was used to provide theoretical explanation on why women are under-represented in formal peacebuilding structures and to help debunk the women as victim narrative. This is in a bid to contribute to research on women in peacebuilding in West Africa while also creating awareness on the informal peace work, they often engage in. The study found that women participated in the peacebuilding process in Sierra Leone at the informal level and that their contribution was instrumental in kick-starting the official peacebuilding process which ended the civil war. Therefore, just as women are victims of war, they are also active agents of peace, especially informal peacebuilding which are not formally acknowledged. A major recommendation is that Sierra Leone should actively implement its National Action plan on women’s inclusion in peacebuilding to ensure increased women’s participation. Lastly, the study suggests that the African Union should mainstream women’s informal peacebuilding activities into formal peacebuilding across the continent.