AFRICA

Within this region, PeaceWomen is currently monitoring 23 countries (Angola, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Central Africa Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), Rwanda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, Chad, Cote d' Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Western Sahara, Algeria) within five sub-regions.

According to the Human Development Index (HDI), Africa is home to countries with both high levels (Libya 53) and low (Zimbabwe 169) rates of human development, in addition to multiple protracted internal conflicts. According to the Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI,) which measures and ranks the level of equality between genders at a country level, countries in Africa rank from 8 (Lesotho) to 133 (Chad).

Currently, there is seven United Nations peacekeeping mission in the region, United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT), African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS), United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI), United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), and the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO)

For information on National Action Plans in the region for SCR 1325, please click here.

PeaceWomen focuses our updates on materials related to women, peace and security and therefore our resources should not be seen as a comprehensive source on the broader situation in these countries.

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June 7, 2013 (Sudan Vision Daily)
DARFUR: North Darfur Exerting Efforts to Empower Rural Women North Darfur has announced its total commitment to empowering rural women through microfinance programmes as an ideal way of expanding production in the state.
May 28, 2013 (allAfrica)
NAMIBIA: Namibian Women Missing On Rights WHILE Namibia has put in place a strong legal framework to address the various forms of gender-based violence and sexual exploitation, ineffective implementation prevents Namibian women from enjoying their rights to life, security of person and bodily integrity, a United Nations report on ‘Extreme Poverty and Human Rights' in Namibia has found.
May 27, 2013 (Voice of America)
LIBYA: HRW Calls on Libya to Protect Women's Rights The end of Moammar Gadhafi's 40-year rule in 2011 was a watershed moment for women, said a new report from Human Rights Watch. Women's rights are at contention as the country begins to draft a new constitution following four decades of dictatorship.
May 24, 2013 (allAfrica)
RWANDA: World Bank, UN Chiefs Hail Rwanda's Gender Policies UN Secretary General, Ban ki-Moon and World Bank president, Dr. Jim Yong Kim, have hailed Rwanda's commitment to end Gender Based Violence (GBV).
May 17, 2013 (CNN)
SOMALIA: Inside the Rape Crisis Center Thats Helping Somalia's Women In a classroom tucked away from the world in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, students practice spelling. Ranging in age from 6 to 11, these girls all have one thing in common: They have either been raped or suffered through the rape of a loved one.