Abstract:
The discourse on the evolving nature of African-led peace support operations (pso) is not complete without asking how gender-inclusive they are. Women have historically been underrepresented within the peace and security space. While several interventions have been made to ensure that pso s on the continent become better, the same cannot be said for gender inclusion. This article examines the participation of women in African-led pso s. It draws on Rwanda as a case study to contextualize the discourse on how gender inclusive African police and troops contributing countries (p/tcc s) are. The analysis finds that efforts at improving pso s on the African continent have not translated into increased representation of women. In particular, African p/tcc s are yet to ensure a considerable number of women in their deployments. The article recommends that there needs to be concerted effort by African p/tcc s and other regional organizations to ensure gender-inclusivity in African-led pso s.
Description:
An earlier version of this article was presented at the Civil Society Forum held on 19 May 2023 at the Pan African Parliament organized by the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria in collaboration with the Pan African Parliament.
