T he rebel attacks and eventual occupation of Tonkolili District, in Northern Sierra Leone, resulted in some of the bloodiest and fiercest battles during the eleven years of war in the country (1989-2000). This war took place among different warring factions such as the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), the Civil Defence Forces (CDF), and the Sierra Leone Army (SLA), and even the ECOMOG and UNAMSIL peacekeepers. The period was characterized by the systematic and widespread perpetration of all manner of gross human rights abuses against the civilian population, including women and children.

Welcome to this volume of Women’s World. The articles in this volume give details about war and conflict in as much as they impact on the lives and well being of women. In this volume also, the women and girls who have undergone a lot of suffering because of war provide moving testimonies that demand intervention of all governments and related institutions.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has historically been an enigma in the whole region. The colonial and postcolonial history of the country is best understood through brutality, injustice and all sorts of human rights abuses meted on the helpless population. The 19th century novelist, Joseph Conrad described the Congo in his allegorical novel, “Heart of Darkness” like a land with no beginning and end, its vast resources overshadowed by ordinary greed, stupidity and moral squalor. It is the greed for these resources and wealth that leads to oppression, dehumanisation and erosion of human virtues, where the exploiters and the exploited, end up in a jig of suffocation and death. The novel remains a graphic narrative of the exploitation of the country’s resources with that insatiable unrestrained greed, with no faith, fear or glory. The DRC of today is perhaps not different from that of the 19th century!

Intéresser Les Femmes A La Construction De La Paix, Aux Droits Humains Et A La Sécurité.

Welcome to Women’s World issue No 44 which features articles on the implications oftransitional justice to women in countries emerging from war and conflict situations. Since independence, most countries in Africa have experienced critical political upheavals which have hadadverse effect on livelihoods of populations especially women. During war and conflict, indiscriminate killings and other abuses like rape are committed on some sections of the community. These create situations of anger and craving for vengeance by certain sections of the population.

Numéro 44 du Monde des femmes vous propose des articles sur les implications de la justice de transition pour les femmes des pays ayant vécu des situations de guerre et conflit. Depuis l’indépendance, la plupart des pays africains ont connu de graves tumultes politiques qui ont eu un effet négatif sur la vie des populations et en particulier des femmes. Pendant les guerres et conflits, des tueries généralisées et autres abus, tel que le viol, sont infligés à certains secteurs de la communauté. Ces violations provoquent la colère et le recours à la vengeance chez certains.