In North Kivu, violence is intensifying. Hundreds of lives are being cut short, families uprooted, and women and children left homeless and hopeless. In the face of this tragedy, silence and inaction are not options. In this message of solidarity, Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo, International President of WILPF, calls for mobilization to end the massacres and defend a future without war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The voices of women must be heard to demand peace and justice.
700 dead, millions displaced, women and children homeless, hungry families… This is the situation facing the Congolese nation.
In North Kivu, in Goma, guns crackle day and night, forcing people to flee to unknown destinations. The images are simply unbearable. In the face of tragedy, tears are unending.
Women of the world, women of Africa, the hour is grave and requires the mobilisation of everyone.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is experiencing a disastrous situation while the decision-makers of the world fail to take strong measures to put an end to it. Sophisticated weapons crackle, paralysing a whole part of the national territory. Time passes, the killings continue. Instead of children’s laughter, there are cries. The pain is immense.
Should we cross our arms in the face of the massive destruction of entire lives? No!
We must activate the levers of peace. We must take action to silence the weapons and bring those who fuel this war to their senses. We must raise our voices to support our Congolese sisters. Many have died, and we must act to stop the hemorrhage.
To those who have taken up arms, what will we do with all these destroyed lives? Does Africa need to see these children perish in this way?
It is time to stop this war that benefits only those who sell weapons. We must prioritize the paths of dialogue. We must speak from the heart.
To the African leaders, what is happening in the DRC should concern them. The silence of the African Union feels like an admission of impotence in the face of the destruction of humanity.
I would like to join all those who are driven by the spirit of peace. These people are praying for the harmony of the Congolese people.
Let us all be the architects of a world without war!
Douala, 02/02/2025
Sylvie Jacqueline NDONGMO, International President of WILPF
700 morts, des millions de personnes déplacées, des femmes et des enfants sans abris, des familles affamées… Voilà la situation dans laquelle se trouve la nation congolaise.
Au nord Kivu, à Goma, les armes crépitent jours et nuits, obligeant les populations à quitter pour des destinations inconnues. Des images sont tout simplement insoutenables. Face à la tragédie des larmes sont intarissables.
Femmes du monde, femmes d’Afrique, l’heure est grave et nécessite la grande mobilisation de tout le monde.
La République démocratique du Congo est en train de vivre une situation désastreuse sans que les décideurs de ce monde ne prennent des mesures fortes pour y mettre un terme. Les armes sophistiquées crépitent, paralysant toute une partie du territoire national. Le temps passe, les tueries continuent. A la place des rires d’enfants, ce sont les pleurs. Les douleurs sont immenses.
Doit-on croiser les bras face à la destruction massive des vies entières ? Non !
Nous devons actionner les leviers de la paix. Nous devons engager des actions pour faire taire les armes et amener ceux qui entretiennent cette guerre à la raison. Nous devons soutenir mettre nos voix, pour soutenir nos sœurs congolaises. Il y a beaucoup de morts et il faut qu’on s’y mette pour arrêter l’hémorragie.
A ceux qui ont pris les armes, qu’allons-nous faire de toutes ces vies détruites ? L’Afrique a-t-elle besoin de voir ces enfants périr de la sorte ?
Il est donc temps d’arrêter cette guerre qui ne profite qu’à ceux qui vendent des armes. Nous devons privilégier les voies du dialogue. Nous devons faire parler nos cœurs.
Aux dirigeants africains, ce qui se passe en RDC doit les interpeller. Le silence de l’Union africaine sonne comme un aveu d’impuissance devant la destruction de l’humanité.
Je voudrais donc me joindre à toutes ces personnes habitées par l’esprit de paix. Ces personnes sont en prière pour faire régner l’harmonie du peuple Congolais.
Soyons toutes et tous les artisan.e.s d’un monde sans guerre !
Fait à Douala le 02 /02/2025
Sylvie Jacqueline NDONGMO, Présidente internationale de WILPF
Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo is the President of WILPF and a human rights and peace leader with over 27 years of experience. Founder of WILPF Cameroon, she has led numerous socio-economic development projects and advocated for women’s political and social rights across Africa and beyond. A former Africa Representative to WILPF’s International Board, she is also an African Union Trainer in peace support operations.
Matt Mahmoudi (he/him) is a lecturer, researcher, and organizer. He’s been leading the “Ban the Scan” campaign, Amnesty International’s research and advocacy efforts on banning facial recognition technologies and exposing their uses against racialized communities, from New York City to the occupied Palestinian territories.
Berit Aasen is a sociologist by training and has worked at the OsloMet Metropolitan University on Oslo. She has 40 years of experience in research and consultancy in development studies, including women, peace, and security, and in later years in asylum and refugee studies. Berit Aasen joined WILPF Norway five years ago. She is an alternate member of the National Board of WILPF Norway, and representing WILPF Norway in the UN Association of Norway, the Norwegian 1325 network and the Norwegian Women’s Lobby. Berit Aasen has been active in the WILPF European Liaison group and is committed to strengthening WILPF sections and membership both in Europe and relations across continents.
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Prior to being elected Vice-President, Melissa Torres was the WILPF US International Board Member from 2015 to 2018. Melissa joined WILPF in 2011 when she was selected as a Delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women as part of the WILPF US’ Practicum in Advocacy Programme at the United Nations, which she later led. She holds a PhD in Social Work and is a professor and Global Health Scholar at Baylor College of Medicine and research lead at BCM Anti-Human Trafficking Program. Of Mexican descent and a native of the US/Mexico border, Melissa is mostly concerned with the protection of displaced Latinxs in the Americas. Her work includes training, research, and service provision with the American Red Cross, the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Centre, and refugee resettlement programs in the U.S. Some of her goals as Vice-President are to highlight intersectionality and increase diversity by fostering inclusive spaces for mentorship and leadership. She also contributes to WILPF’s emerging work on the topic of displacement and migration.
Jamila Afghani is the President of WILPF Afghanistan which she started in 2015. She is also an active member and founder of several organisations including the Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organisation (NECDO). Elected in 2018 as South Asia Regional Representative to WILPF’s International Board, WILPF benefits from Jamila’s work experience in education, migration, gender, including gender-based violence and democratic governance in post-conflict and transitional countries.
Sylvie Jacqueline NDONGMO is a human rights and peace leader with over 27 years experience including ten within WILPF. She has a multi-disciplinary background with a track record of multiple socio-economic development projects implemented to improve policies, practices and peace-oriented actions. Sylvie is the founder of WILPF Cameroon and was the Section’s president until 2022. She co-coordinated the African Working Group before her election as Africa Representative to WILPF’s International Board in 2018. A teacher by profession and an African Union Trainer in peace support operations, Sylvie has extensive experience advocating for the political and social rights of women in Africa and worldwide.
In response to the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and its targeted attacks on civil society members, WILPF Afghanistan issued several statements calling on the international community to stand in solidarity with Afghan people and ensure that their rights be upheld, including access to aid. The Section also published 100 Untold Stories of War and Peace, a compilation of true stories that highlight the effects of war and militarisation on the region.
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WILPF uses feminist analysis to argue that militarisation is a counter-productive and ill-conceived response to establishing security in the world. The more society becomes militarised, the more violence and injustice are likely to grow locally and worldwide.
Sixteen states are believed to have supplied weapons to Afghanistan from 2001 to 2020 with the US supplying 74 % of weapons, followed by Russia. Much of this equipment was left behind by the US military and is being used to inflate Taliban’s arsenal. WILPF is calling for better oversight on arms movement, for compensating affected Afghan people and for an end to all militarised systems.
Mobilising men and boys around feminist peace has been one way of deconstructing and redefining masculinities. WILPF shares a feminist analysis on the links between militarism, masculinities, peace and security. We explore opportunities for strengthening activists’ action to build equal partnerships among women and men for gender equality.
WILPF has been working on challenging the prevailing notion of masculinity based on men’s physical and social superiority to, and dominance of, women in Afghanistan. It recognizes that these notions are not representative of all Afghan men, contrary to the publicly prevailing notion.
In WILPF’s view, any process towards establishing peace that has not been partly designed by women remains deficient. Beyond bringing perspectives that encapsulate the views of half of the society and unlike the men only designed processes, women’s true and meaningful participation allows the situation to improve.
In Afghanistan, WILPF has been demanding that women occupy the front seats at the negotiating tables. The experience of the past 20 has shown that women’s presence produces more sustainable solutions when they are empowered and enabled to play a role.
