Nigeria

WILPF Nigeria has witnessed the evolution of conflict in the different geopolitical zones of the country since the last 10 years. Peace and security in Nigeria are challenged by patriarchy, inequalities and violent masculinities, militarisation and socio-economic injustice. The root causes of war and violence have contributed to the rise of violent extremism with armed non-state actors such as Boko Haram, Massob and Niger Delta Avengers.

Using a feminist lens, WILPF Nigeria works to bring back peace to the country. This work implies equality, justice and demilitarised security for all the Nigerians. WILPF Nigeria works with a non-violent approach to transform the political structure and increase women’s participation in conflict prevention and peacebuilding decision processes.

This has lead to the creation of Women’s Situation Room Nigeria. The initiative was created in collaboration with a network of 13 women and feminist organisations. Together they form the WSRNigeria. The Women’s Situation Room Nigeria plays a crucial role in ensuring peaceful elections. Women in the Situation Room identify, observe, monitor, and report on electoral and gender-based violence before, during and after the elections. During the 2015 election, 5,000 reports were received in two weeks. The incidence report categories included voting complaints, violence, electoral offences, insecurity and spontaneous violence on the announcement of results.

WILPF Nigeria also works continuously with several local government agencies to ensure the implementation of three main outcomes:

  • Build peace with a gender perspective: by strengthening and empowering women at the local and national level to organise, participate and provide gender perspectives.
  • Engender political space: by enhancing the understanding and dialogue on gender with key stakeholders from political party and assembly engagement.
  • Enable conditions to prevent violence: by establishing women-led early warning and conflict prevention mechanisms at the community and state level as a human rights protection tool.

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WILPF Nigeria group photo
18 February 2019
Press Release
#Elections

Press Release: Women’s Situation Room Nigeria Calls for Calm Following Postponement of Elections, Highlights Impact on Women

30 April 2018
Feature
#FeministPeace

WILPF Nigeria President Joy Onyesoh Calls for #SustainingPeace to Start with Local Women’s Voices

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Melissa Torres

VICE-PRESIDENT

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

VICE-PRESIDENT

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

PRESIDENT

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.

WILPF Afghanistan

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. 

IPB Congress Barcelona

WILPF Germany (+Young WILPF network), WILPF Spain and MENA Regional Representative

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Demilitarisation

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.

Militarised masculinity

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.

Feminist peace​

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.

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