Women, youth and sustainable peace on the Bakassi peninsula

Young women and youth in conflict situations worldwide are often vulnerable, used as weapons or as a mean to subdue the morals of opponents in a dispute. Young women and youth in Cameroon, the community that shares borders with Nigeria in the South West Region and in particular those on the Bakassi peninsula are not exempted from this situation.

The outbreak of conflict between Cameroon and Nigeria in the early 90s where both countries claimed to have power over the rich oil area, referred to as the Bakassi Peninsula Outbreak, left a majority of young women and youth abandoned, and homeless. Their economic activities that were exclusively based on subsistence farming and trading smoked fish with Nigeria and other parts of Cameroon became very limited. Women and youth were forced to search for new survival strategies, which made them more dependent on external assistance.

There is yet another aspect to the dispute. Bakassi women and youth have never questioned their nationality before, but since the United Nations, the International Court of Justice and the governments forced them choose a nationality, their sphere of influence is restricted. Women became victims of circumstance; they could no longer move freely between the areas they have lived for years.

The situation in Bakassi Peninsula exposes the women and youth to violence in three dimensions: psychological, physical and sexual. The conflict between Nigeria and Cameroon has left scars of trauma in the women and youth who live in perpetual fear not knowing what tomorrow will bring as they are subject to constant pirates attacks and kidnapping. The evidence has led to the conclusion that the needs of women and youth have not been considered on the negotiation table, and 

" there is a need to rethink their position and one needs to start considering them as active agents of the promotion of sustainable peace instead of treating them as passive bystanders."

As a response to the needs of youth of the Bakassi Peninsula the nongovernmental organization proposed and implemented the project “Young Women Working for Women /Youth and Building a Culture of Sustainable Peace in Bakassi of Ndian Division– Cameroon”. The projects seeks to encourage young women and youth in Bakassi to identify early warning signs which, if not prevented, could escalate into conflicts (next to the already-existing dispute between Cameroon and Nigeria). This project also aims to encourage young women and youth to translate these signs into powerful messages as a clear call for government, the international community and other development actors to take action that will enhance a culture of peace for all citizens.

The project created a supportive environment through Information, Education and Communication sessions (IEC). In an integrated approach for attaining the objectives of the project it focused on activities in the following domains: community mobilisation and sensitisation; IEC coaching sessions code named ‘Sailing for Peace’; and a public hearing event involving main stakeholders. 

" Women and youth identified and stressed the need for their voices to be heard " 

during formal peace negotiations, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, the creation of new constitutions, elections, reconstruction, rehabilitation, and the establishment of judicial systems.

As mentioned before, women and youth are the most vulnerable and at the receiving end of most of the worst excesses and abuses in situations of conflicts. Capitalizing on the activities of young women and youth peace-builders not only advances their rights, but also leads to more effective programs, increased security, just governance, justice, and socio-economic development. Ultimately, all of this will lead to more sustainable peace especially in conflict areas, the key goal where we all are fighting for.

By Ngwa Elvis Tangie from the Organization of African Youth

Organization of African Youth, Cameroon

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Reference

• http://www.youthpolicy.org/peacebuilding/2014/04/youth-women-and-sustainable-peace-on-the-bakassi-peninsula/