86291 Dissemination Note No. 1 Supporting Women as Peace Builders: The Southern Sudan Experience1 May 2013 zations and figures vary in scope and kind. For example, the Background nascent work of religious and cultural leaders in LRA-affected areas has increasingly promoted cross-border conflict trans- The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) conflict, now going on 25 formation. Initiatives that support the involvement of such years, is among the longest in modern African history. After civil society actors are promoting regional transformation the breakdown of the Juba peace process in 2008, the conflict through experience-based response to conflict, complement- spread to the Central African Republic (CAR), the Demo- ed by high-quality analysis. Meanwhile, a critical gap has been cratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Southern Sudan, with identified in this process: the limited channels of communica- grave humanitarian consequences. As of July 2010 more than tion among women in LRA-affected areas, and the resulting 600,000 people had been displaced, and an estimated 1,000- underrepresentation of women’s perspectives and experiences 2,000 people, including women and children, remained captive in local, national, and international forums on the conflict. 2 1 to the LRA. Joint military operations launched by the Ugan- dan army in collaboration with its neighbors neither delivered To close that gap, Conciliation Resources established a spe- civilian protection nor contained the LRA’s movements and cific initiative to support women as peace builders in the LRA atrocities. Where the LRA operates in the CAR, DRC, and conflict by providing a channel for their voices to be heard Southern Sudan, there is limited government presence or in- by key stakeholders. Workshops across the CAR, DRC, and formation about LRA activities. In Northern Uganda, past Uganda were convened to provide a space for a diverse set grievances remain unresolved. of women to share their perspectives on issues pertaining to the conflict. Workshop activities and discussions sought to ad- Yet, amid these challenges, there are opportunities for con- dress the specific needs of women affected by the LRA and structive intervention. The foundations laid by the Juba peace to foster coordination, communication, and synergy among process, the Ugandan Amnesty Act, and the region’s nascent women’s groups and organizations across the region. The out- civil society networks offer opportunities for dialogue, cross- puts of the workshops provided initial inputs for the elabora- border reconciliation, and the reintegration of returnees. tion of experience-based analysis and preliminary recommen- dations reflecting women’s issues and needs in the context of the LRA conflict. Introduction and Objectives The Learning on Gender and Conflict in Africa (LOGiCA) Given the regional nature of the LRA conflict and the lim- Program partnered with Conciliation Resources to extend the ited government presence in affected areas, peace-building is- initiative into Southern Sudan, complementing the work al- sues cannot be addressed solely by governments or within a ready being conducted in the CAR, DRC, and Uganda.3 The single country. Organized civil society groups in each affected initiative was being implemented in areas recently attacked country, working in concert with one another, play an essen- by the LRA, and so Yambio was selected in Southern Sudan. tial role in responding to the conflict, reducing the threat of Participants represented a cross-section of women from the the LRA to the general population, and improving regional community identified by Conciliation Resources’ partners, knowledge of LRA movements and tactics. This involves in- terventions that—recognizing the limits of international and national influence—stay close to the ground, in step with the 1 Editor’s note: The initiative to which this note refers took place prior to the es- social interactions and changes ongoing in conflict-affected tablishment of the Republic of South Sudan on July 9, 2011. This area is therefore communities. referred to as Southern Sudan throughout the document. 2 Conciliation Resources is a UK-based peacebuilding NGO http://www.c-r.org/ An initiative implemented by Conciliation Resources2 is sup- porting grassroots organizations and influential community 3 Funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs through their embassy in Kampala, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Authority (SIDA), figures to help them better articulate their knowledge and the U.K. government’s Department for International Development (DFID), and the viewpoints to policy makers and practitioners. Such organi- Belgian Government. JUPEDEC (Jeunesse Unie pour la Protection de l’Environment et le Defense Force (UPDF) Development Communataire – Youth United for the Protection of the should strengthen their “These are all our children,” Environment and Community Development) and the Totto Chan response. Others had one elderly woman remarked, “we do not like violence, but Centre for Child Trauma, both of which have extensive expe- hope only in nonviolent at the same time we have rience and networks within the local community. approaches. Another nowhere to hide.” Another group stated that none woman added, “This is a new The sessions were tailored specifically to the Southern Sudan of the aforementioned challenge. These are our own context and the specific needs of the women identified. Top- approaches would work children, brothers, and sis- ics included: (i) contextualized conflict analysis tools—“the and that the situation ters doing it to us. Violence is human knot game” and the “cassava plant analogy”; (ii) LRA was rather hopeless. perpetrated by someone who conflict analysis—a ranking of key issues affecting women; Such different (and comes to your door step in the (iii) a discussion of the LRA’s impact on the Western Equato- sometimes conflicting) small hours of the night and ria State (WES) and of the unique role women might play in narratives indeed reflect calls you by name . . . and in finding solutions to the conflict; (iv) Security Council Resolu- key perspectives of the most cases, you even recog- tion 1325—on women, peace and security: an introduction; nize the voice.” ongoing dialogue. and (v) an action plan for the future. Civilian Protection Women’s Perspectives, Issues, and The protracted nature of the conflict, with its severe humani- Needs: Key Findings tarian and developmental consequences, poses new challenges to the region. The systematic targeting of children, the use The following topics were raised by participants in the course of fear and abduction as tools of war, and the displacement of the three-day workshop in Yambio. Findings are purely of populations create a self-perpetuating cycle of loss, resent- qualitative and anecdotal, and the generalizations that follow ment, and hopelessness that feeds the conflict. Workshop par- were made by participants themselves during workshop activi- ticipants expressed their belief that security forces, the SPLA, ties and consultations. UPDF, and the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNIMIS) could better protect civilians. Without adequate protection, Women as observers rather than actors. Women of the WES are communities have taken to self-armament, and the Arrow generally marginalized from dialogues on security in the re- Boys are considered to be local heroes. Such sentiments have gion and specifically in relation to the LRA. In Southern Su- widened the gap between the government and local popula- dan in general, little attention has been given to the role that tion. This is a particular challenge in the WES, an area that women can play in peace-building initiatives. felt few of the effects of Sudan’s civil war but that now in “peacetime” is suffering armed conflict. The mysteries of LRA “It is the first time that we are violence. The LRA en- Female-Specific Impact of the LRA meeting as women in WES tered the WES in 2004. to talk about the problems Women and youth are the principal targets of the abduction They employed tactics caused by LRA and what we and sexual enslavement practiced by the LRA. Former female consistent with other can do as women.” “I have abductees face social exclusion and its attendant economic heard of new things that I LRA-affected areas: ab- implications, as well as the psychological trauma linked to acts have never heard about . . . ducting young people, of violence—whether experienced as victims, perpetrators, or UNSCR 1325 . . . how I wish indoctrinating them, witnesses. Women returnees are often feared and rejected by that these discussions could and sending them back their communities, their families, and their spouses, particu- be extended to other women to fight their own com- larly if they return with a child of an unknown father born in the state.” munities. Workshop in captivity. Returnees—especially survivors of sexual and participants observed gender-based violence (SGBV)—face a rather bleak future, that the tactics, strate- lightened by only limited rehabilitation services. gies, and the LRA’s mode of operation were all new to the local population, who found them difficult to comprehend. Programmatic Response They could not understand how individuals once so close to them were the perpetrators of such violence. Participants discussed the key challenges that they believe women and girls are likely to face: illiteracy, formal and in- Discussions highlighted a range of views on the LRA conflict’s formal barriers to education, family conflict, and health prob- root causes and possible solutions. Some participants strongly lems—with specific reference to SGBV and reintegration. advocated for the reinforcement of the Arrow Boys, a loose- Participants underscored the limited availability of economic knit, lightly armed local defense force that had taken com- opportunities for women in the WES and pointed to better munity security into their own hands. Others felt that the Su- access to formal and informal education for women and girls dan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) or the Uganda People’s as a significant source of hope among the population. Partici- 2 pants specifically referred to women’s lack of business skills particular focus on enhancing organizational manage- and access to capital as impediments to success in income- ment capacity. generating activities; they also noted significant barriers, such as diploma requirements, for women hoping to access civil • Establish mechanisms for regular consultations with service jobs. women and women’s groups on existing peace-building initiatives and identify entry points for women to en- Workshop participants noted the need to overcome gen- gage in the overall dialogue. der obstacles in the following areas: education, livelihoods, health, relationships, access to justice and disarmament, and • Promote cross-border exchange among women in LRA- demobilization and reintegration programming. Current pro- affected regions, allowing them to share knowledge and gramming is for the most part short term and humanitarian develop regional strategies for their productive engage- focused; longer-term support of formal and informal educa- ment. In particular, facilitate exchange visits to learn tion, economic opportunities, and psychosocial well-being is from the successes of positive civil society engagement, scant. That such long-term initiatives should grow and be- such as that of women’s organizations in Uganda. gin to target women directly is vital to community well-being. Capacity Building Such initiatives might enjoy better outcomes if they helped local women to develop their own solutions and to express • Women’s groups. Develop and disseminate tools to un- their own ideas and aspirations. derstand and address the conflict, tailored to the WES context. Communicate women’s needs and aspirations Civil Society Engagement to the leaders of national, regional, and international Participants reported limited civil society engagement due efforts to address the LRA conflict. to low capacity and poor coordinating structures within civil Strengthen the capacity of women’s organization’s in society organizations, women’s associations, and donor agen- the areas of peace building, human rights education, cies. This is in contrast to Uganda, where civil society is highly leadership, and communication and advocacy to pro- engaged and there is dialogue between the government, civil mote the inclusion of women’s issues and perspectives society, and donors on the issue of the LRA. Indeed, more in local, national, and international dialogues on the broadly, communication between women and women’s groups LRA conflict. is limited. In the WES, women’s level of contact outside of the region is minimal. This lack of exposure to other women’s • Individual beneficiaries. Consider women and girls as a experiences contributes to individual isolation and constrains special target group of education and training program- the valuable lessons to be learned from shared experience. ming. Bolster economic opportunities for women by promoting their formal and informal education and vo- Conclusions and Recommendations cational training. Complement such efforts by ongoing The following recommendations were made by participants community-wide training in human rights, women’s is- themselves during the workshop exercise in Yambio. Over- sues, and peace building. all, the need to strengthen the capacity of women and the • Local and national development actors. Build the ca- organizations that support them emerged as a key finding. In pacity of actors focused on the reintegration of LRA addition, there is a need for training and sensitization efforts returnees to integrate gender-specific issues into demo- targeting gender-specific issues. Such efforts might support bilization and reintegration programming. In particular, women—both as individuals and in groups—in address- help such actors administer appropriate and compre- ing the effects of the LRA conflict and regaining a sense of hensive support for those experiencing trauma—espe- agency over their lives, as opposed to being seen and treated cially those dealing with SGBV issues. as victims. To ensure women’s participation in the peace- building process, they need support. Such support might take Public Information and Sensitization the form of information on women’s rights, applicable legal frameworks, and examples of what other women have done • Increase the outreach of public information on the in similar circumstances in the region. Specific recommenda- LRA conflict through various traditional and nontradi- tions for future programming include the following. tional media, with a focus on issues specific to women and their human rights. Strengthening Women’s Groups and Networks • Support increased radio coverage and strengthen the • Support the creation of women’s groups and networks programming capacity of existing radio stations in the in the WES, in LRA-affected areas, and beyond, with WES. 3