During a meeting held in Kigali last week, women activists raised concern that there is a lot that needs to be done to have women playing a more robust role in elective politics within the East African Community.
Sweet Dreams is a documentary that chronicles how a group of Rwandan women survived destruction and mass murder, and then embarked on the tenuous path of healing. Against the backdrop of the lush green Rwandan countryside, the film informs viewers that 1994 was the year of genocide in Rwanda. Later in the narrative, the historical context --referencing European colonialism--is recounted.
Kiziba Refugee Camp, Rwanda: The cases of rape and other sexual violence in Kiziba refugee camp are falling, but the physical and emotional consequences are immense when they do occur. The culture of silence among the camp's Congolese refugees makes it even worse, fostering impunity and leaving victims feeling scared and alone.
Liberia made history when it elected Africa's first female president in Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. It was not an easy choice since her opponent was George Weah who had acquired a lot of wealth and popularity especially among the youth thanks to his dazzling football career that saw him once voted as African footballer of the year, World Footballer of the year and European footballer of the year.
Opinion: A survey by the Gender Monitoring Office, reported in the Wednesday, June 6, 2012, issue of The New Times, raised some concerns that women representation in leadership across various sectors is not as should be expected. It suggests that more needs to be done to raise their participation.
She was a regular girl from Peshawar who grew up to be appointed president of an international tribunal for crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide.
Khalida Rashid, who was recently appointed as the President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, is a source of pride.
The plan to resolve the conflict in the Kivu by emphasising a military solution is failing. Two years after the rapprochement between Congolese President Joseph Kabila and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, government soldiers are still battling militias for control of land and mines. Neither side has the strength to win, but both have the resources to prolong the fighting indefinitely.
I recently made my way through the same Central African countryside as I traveled through two years ago with Population Services International (PSI), the global health organization for which I serve on the board of directors. This time, I was in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with the Center for American Progress' to investigate mineral mining in conflict areas and advocate for the ban of their use.
The following summary incorporates the perspectives and recommendations of Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director at UNIFEM and Ambassador Donald Steinberg, Principal Deputy Director of Policy Planning for the Department of State.
