Women’s Peacebuilding Agency and Post-Conflict Reconciliation in the Great Lakes Region

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 8, August 2026 | pp. 79–91

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001290

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Women’s Peacebuilding Agency and Post-Conflict Reconciliation in the Great Lakes Region

Names of Author: Dr. Grace Mukamana¹

Author's Affiliation: ¹Centre for Gender Studies, College of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.

Abstract:
Armed conflicts in the Great Lakes region have frequently deployed sexual and gender-based violence as a deliberate weapon of war, leaving enduring physical and psychological scars on women and communities. Despite being hyper-visible as victims in humanitarian narratives, African women are routinely excluded from formal peace negotiations and state-level transitional justice mechanisms. Nevertheless, grassroots women’s associations play indispensable roles in mediating local disputes, rehabilitating survivors, and rebuilding social cohesion across ethnic divides. This paper examines the informal peacebuilding strategies adopted by female community leaders in post-conflict Rwanda and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Drawing on postcolonial feminist peace theory, the study utilizes oral history interviews and archival records from regional women’s peace networks. Through thematic analysis, I illustrate how women mobilize maternal solidarity, restorative dialogue, and micro-enterprise cooperatives to foster sustainable reconciliation where top-down diplomatic interventions have stalled.

Keywords: Peacebuilding, post-conflict reconciliation, women’s agency, Great Lakes region, transitional justice, feminist peace theory, gender-based violence, solidarity

Manuscript Timeline: Received: May 28, 2026; Revised: July 06, 2026; Accepted: July 09, 2026; Published: August 14, 2026.

Citation: Mukamana, G. (2026). Women’s Peacebuilding Agency and Post-Conflict Reconciliation in the Great Lakes Region. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(8), 79–91. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001290

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