A female peace mission with female troops

We, African women, stand in solidarity with the mothers, sisters and grandmothers in the Horn, and we ask:

-  All leaders in the Horn to stop the violence;

-  All churches and faith communities to call on our leaders to stop the violence;

-  IGAD and the AU to support a women’s led peace force to monitor the peace;

-  The international community to support a women’s led peace force to enforce the peace;

-  The UN to establish a humanitarian corridor to impartially reach all affected areas;

-  An immediate opening of all communications to the affected areas;

-  The international community to ensure the safety of all PoWs, refugees and IDPs and these to be placed under international protection. 

Signed,

Julia Duncan Cassell, former Minister of Gender and Social Protection, Liberia 

Zaminah Malole, Commissioner for Equal Opportunities, Uganda

Reem Abbas, Researcher at Andariya, Sudan

Tsedale Lemma, Editor of the Addis Standard, Germany/Ethiopia

Ebunola Shoda, Esq. Principal Partner Shoda & Shoda, Sagamu Nigeria, Member Committee on the Law and Status of Women, National Council for Women Societies, Nigeria

Suzanne Monkasa, Membre du Réseau Parlementaire sur les Politiques des Diasporas du Conseil de l’ Europe; Présidente/Plateforme des Femmes de la Diaspora Congolaise de Belgique

Selam Balehey Gebremicale, University of Antwerp, Ethiopia 

Okudu Caroline Loboyong, Lecturer, South Sudan

Samantha Hargreaves, WoMin African Alliance

Organisation Mahber Selam Ethiopia-EritreaIlham Osman Ibrahim, Executive Director, Sudanese Organization for Research and Development (SORD), Sudan

Organisation, Wefri Selam

Dzodzi Tsikata, Professor of Development Sociology, Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana and member, Network for Women's Rights in Ghana

On 4th of November 2020 hostilities broke out in the Northern Ethiopia Horn region, bordering Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea, with severe consequences. The current situation is:
-  One million out of six million people in the North have fled their homes
-  Over two million people need assistance for food, which is not available
-  Thousands of people have been killed in the violence
-  Massacres have been committed
-  100.000 refugees in camps under international protection have been abandoned
-  50.000 refugees have arrived in neighbouring country, Sudan
-  Properties have been looted
-  Violence has erupted in other regions
-  Ethnic profiling
-  All communication channels to certain regions are closed

International leaders, church leaders and others have called for an immediate ceasefire and end to all hostilities, access to all areas to humanitarian organisations, stop to all ethnic profiling and restoration of peace.
These demands have not been realised.

The hostilities follow the 2018 peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Women of the region long for peace.
The AU President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed three envoys to mediate in the conflict and these have the full support of the international community. Regrettably, today the envoys have not been able to meet with all parties. A perspective on inclusive peace-talks is still lacking.
Recognising the important mission of the AU envoys, African women ask for an immediate dialogue involving all parties. Such a dialogue can be led by female leaders. Such a dialogue will require that conditions are available for peaceful talks.
Therefore, a women-led peace force should be installed in the region, under auspices of the AU and IGAD with support of the international community.

This appeal was launched on the 10th of December 2020 

The appeal was iss