For Immediate ReleaseDecember
17, 2020 -- African women are calling
on the African Union, IGAD and the international community to set up a female
peacekeeping force to promote peace in the Horn of Africa. The appeal issued on
December 14 is signed, among others, by Julia Cassell, the former Minister of
Gender from Liberia. It urges African leaders to create the conditions for
peace on the ground.
Cassell is joined by nearly 120 women --
including entrepreneurs, teachers, humanitarian aid workers, scholars, civil
servants, mothers and community workers, and health workers and from 20
countries across the African continent: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan,
Somalia, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Benin, Niger, Ghana, Nigeria, DR Congo,
Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Cameroon, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
War broke out on November 4 in the Northern
region of Ethiopia involving Eritrea and the Federal Ethiopian troops in a
military conflict that risks spilling over to Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and
Kenya. The President of the African Union, Cyril Ramaphosa, appointed three
special envoys to mediate in the conflict. Unfortunately, the envoys have not
been able to meet with the parties involved and no mediation has happened.
“In Liberia we know the pain women suffer
from military conflict. Our sons, husbands and fathers were forced to join the
fighting. Not knowing whether they are dead or alive, there is obviously only
one way forward: fighting must stop," states Cassell. "Let us recall
that a female peace-keeping force in Liberia helped end the fighting, and for
women and their families to return to a peaceful life. We found that female
peacekeepers on the ground were very effective.”
At least one of the six million people in the
Horn region have been internally displaced and are still without food or support.
Four camps with 100,000 refugees have been targeted by the fighting and
refugees are desperately trying to find a safe place. 50,000 refugees have
reached Sudan, many of whom are young children without their families. Numerous
other refugees are not able to reach Sudan safely. Whilst leaders in the region
have tried to reassure African leaders that the situation is under control, the
women in the region are losing hope as their loved ones are not coming home,
communication is not restored, and mobilisation for military purposes is
ongoing. A humanitarian corridor has not been established and 2 million people
have no access to food.
The African Women’s appeal urges African
leaders and the international community to act to protect civilians, refugees
and Internally Displaced People.
A female peacekeeping mission for the Horn of
Africa will ensure that a humanitarian corridor is established, food gets in
and peace can be restored so that mediation can begin. Women need to come
forward as role models. Hate-speech and ethnic profiling needs to end. It is
time for women to take the lead.
Female peacekeepers from Ghana, Nigeria,
South Africa, Burundi, Niger and other African countries have proved to be role
models. In 2016, the all-Female Formed Police Unit from India was commended for
their excellent contributions to the success of the mission in Liberia as it
was completed.
Contacts:
africanwomenforpeaceappeal@gmail.com
Spokespersons:
Julia
Duncan Cassell
Zaminah
Malole
Reem
Abbas
Website:
https://africanwomenforpeace.business.site
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIvEpGXFHtW/?igshid=yfzcuqynkjmm
