While rebels and soldiers traded bullets and political leaders talked tough, women from three West African countries promoted negotiations and reconciliation. With refugee flows reaching unprecedented levels, the women’s network helped to prevent the outbreak of hostilities between the three countries by bringing their leaders back to the negotiation table.
In May 2000, at a meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, attended by women leaders and representatives of local nongovernmental organizations, an initiative was launched linking women from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea in an effort to promote peace. The Mano River Women’s Peace Network (MARWOPNET) adopted a mandate committing women from the three Mano River region countries to forget their differences and pursue a common agenda covering peace and sustainable development for their respective countries and the region as a whole.
Its formation marked the culmination of efforts facilitated, in the main, by Femmes Africa Solidarité,1 which brought together women ministers, parliamentarians, journalists, lawyers, academics, researchers, and sympathetic individuals from the private sector.
MARWOPNET comprises roughly thirty umbrella organizations operating in diverse areas and focusing on promoting peace and development.2 Within a relatively short period, MARWOPNET erected a network base that spread beyond the African continent to include national, regional, and international organizations. Its primary efforts focused on peace. This commitment was tested very quickly. With civil wars raging in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and tension on the rise in neighboring Guinea—a partner with the two West African nations in the Mano River economic alliance—the women of MARWOPNET launched a bold initiative in 2001 to get leaders talking to each other. It seemed a forlorn hope, given the depth of animosity among the presidents, but that was no deterrent.

Getting Them to Speak
A representative group of women from the three countries visited Liberia. On their arrival in Monrovia, President Charles Taylor was holding a cabinet meeting. He asked, “Are you telling me that women leaders from Guinea are here in Monrovia? And women from Sierra Leone?”
Struck by their courage, and impressed by the effort they had made to reach Monrovia, Taylor agreed to meet the women and assured them of his willingness to sit down with his counterparts from Guinea and Sierra Leone.
Encouraged, MARWOPNET sent a delegation to Conakry. Guinean president Lansana Conte received them. Mary Brownell, a member of the delegation, told the president: “You and President Taylor have to meet as men and iron out your differences, and we the women want to be present. We will lock you in this room until you come to your senses, and I will sit on the key.”
President Conte laughed. “What man do you think would say that to me? Only a woman could do such a thing and get away with it.” He agreed to attend a summit, declaring: “Many people have come before to try to convince me to meet with President Taylor and I have always refused them, but today I accept because I believe in you. You are not part of the problem. You have not brought war, but your commitment and appeal have convinced me.”
Next, the women went to see President Tejan Kabba of Sierra Leone, who informed them he had already been contacted by President Conte and they had agreed to have their ministers of foreign affairs and defense meet to prepare the ground for the summit, including Taylor. Brownell, who was a veteran activist from Liberia, commented later that the leaders “know they have to listen because the women are not for war . . . [they] know that we don’t want anything from them except peace.”

Areas of Concern

Recognizing that peace, development, and security are interrelated, MARWOPNET focused on five critical areas of concern. Each of the women’s networks agreed to take a lead role in one area.
The areas, and their different components, were as follows:

— Peace process (involving provision of training; establishment of a dialogue; mainstreaming of gender; affirmative action; integration of a human rights approach)
— Peace mechanisms (increasing awareness; increased participation of women in international peace mechanisms; wide-scale education programs; greater interaction among women’s groups and other stakeholders; establishment of a strong communication and information network and an effective early warning system; continued improvement in the transparent management of cross-border movements)
— Security (reduction and eventual eradication of arms in circulation in the subregion; increase of accurate information on the location of arms; decrease in and eventual end to recruitment of child soldiers; establishment of a more secure environment for development to take place)
— Reconstruction (physical and psychological rehabilitation of war victims; social reintegration of members of families and communities; restoration of basic welfare facilities in the region; restoration of women’s self-confidence and desire to start afresh; empowerment of women to enable them to fully take part in the reconstruction and development of the region; training of trainers for each country; training to address psychological damage caused by war to child soldiers, other combatants, women, and refugees; training in housing reconstruction)
— Economic empowerment (revitalization of the economic capacity of women to stimulate economic development; promotion of gender equity and sensitivity in the policies of governments; strengthening the capacity of women to ensure their relevance and competitiveness in the global setup)



Dialogue
These meetings between MARWOPNET delegations and the presidents took place between June and August 2001. In early March 2002, at a three-day summit in Rabat, Morocco, Presidents Taylor, Conte, and Kabba agreed to jump-start peace talks; initiate dialogue between the ministers of defense from the three countries; reopen borders between Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone; rebuild diplomatic relations between the three countries; decrease the proliferation of small arms; and increase economic cooperation in the Mano River Basin.
By initiating dialogue among the three countries, MARWOPNET succeeded where many previous attempts had failed. The founders of the network followed through on their conviction that joint action would enable women to contribute meaningfully to the quest for regional peace and security.
Their efforts were not limited to forcing direct political action. MARWOPNET sent representatives on peace tours of the region, and participated in demonstrations by other women’s groups. The network alerted the regional and international community to the situation in the region, and played a critical role as intermediary between the various factions involved in the Liberian peace talks in Ghana, where it was invited as one of the signatories to the eventual agreement. During the two months of their stay in Ghana, the MARWOPNET delegation lobbied for inclusion of the peace agenda agreed in Abuja in 2000, as part of the Accra peace accord.

Sensitizing People to Peace
The network’s success in bringing leaders of the Mano River Union to the negotiating table enabled women to secure access to decisionmaking structures—especially in regard to peace and development processes—and created effective programs to return and reintegrate refugees and internally displaced people to their homes.
MARWOPNET’s concern for victims of conflict translated into a greater focus on projects to help reintegrate refugees and internally displaced people into their homes and communities. MARWOPNET’s members visited refugee camps and drew attention to the plight of those sheltered there. They launched advocacy campaigns to give visibility to issues such as HIV/AIDS, economic empowerment, child soldiers, and disarmament.
Provisions were distributed to the needy and international organizations increased their lobbying efforts, highlighting conditions in the camps and urging more humane treatment and increased aid to refugees. There was particular focus on helping people heal both physical and psychological wounds, especially the thousands of women and young girls in the camps who were victims of sexual violence.
In its ongoing work in these areas, the network used specific strategies to achieve its objectives. MARWOPNET tried to sensitize people at all levels—from grassroots organizations to politicians—on peace issues, including advocacy, capacity building, the benefits of linking with other ongoing initiatives, networking, and partnership building. It carried out research and disseminated information on existing peace initiatives, and promoted best practices in peacebuilding among women.
At meetings with rebel groups, and during peace marches and demonstrations, the women demanded the destruction of small arms, the reintegration and rehabilitation of child soldiers, better treatment of refugees and displaced persons, and increased cooperation between the Mano River states.
In the area of capacity building, MARWOPNET’s training sessions and workshops on peacebuilding focused on equipping women mediators from all walks of life with necessary skills in mediation, negotiation, and mobilization techniques and instilling in them the determination to work for peace and promote a culture of reconciliation. The women have taught conflict resolution and negotiation techniques to media NGOs and representatives of civil society.

Recognized Impact
The achievements of MARWOPNET earned the praise of UN secretary-general Kofi Annan who, in a report to the Security Council in April 2001, noted that MARWOPNET “aptly demonstrates” the multidimensional, coordinated and regional collaborative approach adopted by civil-society bodies in their struggles to promote peace. A similar endorsement came from the Organization of African Union that year. The network earned praise from the continental body for its “commendable efforts aimed at sustaining the peace process in Sierra Leone and bringing about peace, security, and stability in Mano River region.”
In December 2003, MARWOPNET was awarded the UN Prize in the field of human rights by the UN General Assembly. This is an honorary award given to individuals and organizations in recognition of their outstanding achievement in human rights.

Conclusions
Despite the successes achieved by MARWOPNET, peace in the subregion remains precarious. There is an urgent need for the continuation and intensification of efforts to empower women and enable them to continue their role as effective advocates for peace. Although various international declarations and conventions call for increased involvement of women in peace negotiations, African women continue to be sidelined in this area. They have proven that they can negotiate through participation in the MARWOPNET and other regional peace processes, but even when organized and prepared they find it hard to secure necessary funds to attend negotiations. When they do obtain financial backing, they have trouble receiving accreditation. When they get accreditation, other participants tend not to take them seriously.
A number of crucial issues are on the table calling for the attention of women’s caucuses involved in peace negotiations:

— How many women are participating in transitional governments?
— Will they participate in the drafting of new constitutions and thus be able to get gender issues into the mainstream?
— Will any war crimes tribunal take into special consideration violence committed against women?
— What protection will the international community provide to women who have taken risks?

One potentially powerful tool, whose implementation is vital to the rights of all women living in, or emerging from, conflict situations, is UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. In order to effectively use this tool, African women must advocate for its implementation at the national level. The international community must support them, both politically and financially, in this endeavor.
The commitment expressed by the UN Department of Political Affairs to support the women of Mano River Women’s Peace Network to participate in peace negotiations, as well as the UN Division for the Advancement of Women’s support for creating national gender machinery in war-torn countries, are examples of positive responses. African women must build partnerships with other women and men from around the world who share similar interests, both in sustainable peace and gender equality.
The many obstacles to implementation of peace initiatives include the absence of a good communication network between the groups, and between them and their various constituencies. It is therefore important that an effective communication mechanism—including such tools as the Internet and e-mails—be set up and strengthened to ensure an easy flow of information among all concerned parties.
Women’s groups have to seize every opportunity arising at the national or international levels. Recent initiatives in the area of postconflict peacebuilding by the UN, World Bank, ECOWAS, the African Union, and so on, offer the chance for women living in, or emerging from, conflict situations, to overcome the obstacles listed above, and pursue peace initiatives.

Femmes Africa Solidarité was created in 1996 from a brainstorming session with a group of women lawyers, judges, academics, and entrepreneurs, along with representatives from other NGOs and international organizations, to promote, ensure, and give a voice to women in resolving conflicts and building peace. It functions within existing and emerging structures in Africa and as a communication link between African women.



Contacts
Femmes Africa Solidarité
8 Rue du Vieux-Billard
P.O. Box 5037
1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Tel.: +41 22 328 8050
Fax: 41 22 328 8052
E-mail: info@fasngo.org
Website: www.fasngo.org

MARWOPNET Secretariat
Freetown, Sierra Leone
E-mail: marwopnet@yahoo.com

Notes
1. With support from UN agencies, the African Union, Economic Commission of Africa, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
2. The largest members included the Coordination of Women NGOs in Guinea, National Women NGOs of Liberia, Liberia Women’s Initiative, and Sierra Leone Women’s Forum. The network has six organs: a general assembly, board of directors, five multisectoral standing technical committees, three national country focal points, and a regional secretariat.

Selected Bibliography
“Africa Recovery.” 2003. Vol. 16, No. 4. UN Department of Public Information, February.
Femmes Africa Solidarité. “Engendering the Peace Process in West Africa” Femmes Africa Solidarité online at: www.fasngo.org
“Ford Foundation Report.” 2002. Ford Foundation (fall).