As violence and armed conflict adversely affect lives of people in parts of Africa, women have been urged to rise up and take part in conflict resolution efforts.

The remarks were made during a two-day meeting on women’s rights which concluded on Monday in Kigali.

It was organised by ‘Gender is my Agenda Campaign’ (GIMAC), an African women’s organisation with a network of more than 55 civil society organisations committed to promoting gender equality and accountability for women’s rights.

It was held under the theme, "Implementing women’s rights in Africa; If not now, when?”

The meeting attracted delegates from all over Africa.

It aimed at following up and building on the commitments made during the former GIMAC meeting held in Addis Ababa in January 2016 that focused on the thematic areas of peace and security, women’s rights and economic empowerment, health, education, and further deliberate on the issues of traditional practices, legal systems, and young women’s leadership.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the meeting, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the chairperson of the African Union Commission, said women are the majority in every country and, therefore, should take advantage of their numbers to play a key role in fostering peace in society.

"Why do we always want to remain a silent majority? There is strength in numbers. We should learn to take advantage of these numbers. If women stand with their big numbers and say to a leader ‘We shall not re-elect you because of this and that’, would he remain in office?” she said.

Dlamini-Zuma added that women are naturally known for peacemaking, a character trait they should employ to build the culture of dialogue, peace and tolerance in their respective countries.

Modi Enosa Mbaraza, a representative from Young Women Christians Association in South Sudan, said it is important for women to stand up against conflict.

She cited an example of her homeland South Sudan, where a lot of undesirable occurrences are happening because of the fighting that is taking place there.

For Marie-Louise Baricako, the chairperson Burundi Women and Girls Movement for Peace and Security, respect for women’s rights is the main problem in Africa.

"If we want to bring African development, rights should not just be written to remain on paper. There must be implementation,” she said, adding that African leaders need to urgently promote women’s rights.

Caroline Usikpendo, the president of the Niger Delta Women’s Movement for peace and Development in Nigeria, said women are the custodians of culture in Africa yet they are always left out of conflict resolution mechanisms.

Sharing Nigeria’s experience, she said women need to be empowered especially financially in order to be able to claim their rights.

Elizabeth Lwanga, the Uganda Women’s Situation Room Team Leader, called upon women to be non-partisan in order for their peace building work to be effective.

"If we are to be involved in peace building, we must be completely non-aligned. There has to be professionalism, honesty, and persistence in our work of solving conflicts,” she said.

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