What barriers do women and feminist peacebuilders face in Africa – what means do they have to overcome them? How can generations of peacebuilders work together to make their demands heard and achieve lasting peace in their countries and regions? These were among the questions discussed at the first regional meeting of the Feminists Connecting for Peace network in Africa.

Nothing is impossible if women and young people are involved in maintaining peace, security and stability across the entire continent

From Cameroon’s forgotten Anglophone Crisis to the war in Sudan that has cost the lives of more than 100,000 people: the participants at the regional network meeting in Uganda came from 18 countries across the continent and have all experienced wars and violent conflict. Some of the participants in Entebbe have been displaced by armed conflict within their countries, others have gone into exile for their own safety – also because they are women and activists.

The two-day meeting in April 2026 in Entebbe gave the women and feminist peacebuilders – including mediators, journalists and grassroots activists – the rare opportunity to meet in person and exchange and strategise across countries, language barriers and generations. They had the time and space to build connections, increase awareness of the challenges they face in the different contexts and to identify shared goals and opportunities for women’s participation in peace processes.

"We witness here the power, the determination, the solidarity and connection of women. When women are working together, they can influence policies and peace," said Marian Angela, a veteran peace activist from Sierra Leone.  “We also heard hard truths: lack of youth representation, especially young women, in peace-making, insufficient local funding, and the devastating reality of conflict,” Nashiba Nakabira, the African Union’s Youth Ambassador for Peace from Uganda, wrote after the meeting on LinkedIn. “I committed to bringing more young women to the table, leveraging social media to amplify our collective work, as we invest in the next generation of peacebuilders.”

"Borders must not divide us”

Gégé Kekana from the Democratic Republic of Congo and one of the 1000 PeaceWomen nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize said at the meeting: “Your experiences lead me to conclude that nothing is impossible if women and young people are involved in maintaining peace, security and stability across the entire continent. The borders between our countries must not divide us. Together, we can change the continent.” She acknowledged that “the path we are currently traveling is still long and slippery, strewn with many thorns – yet this must not discourage us.”

The Association des Femmes pour le Dynamisme Citoyen (Association of Women for Civic Engagement) from Chad, represented at the meeting, described it as “a decisive step for women in amplifying the voices of their sisters who have long remained silent in the face of the multiple forms of violence to which they are subjected” in a post. For Hanadi, a Sudanese participant, the two days of discussion and collaboration show that “connecting regional efforts with national experiences is a key step to enhance impact and overcome societal barriers” to women’s participation in peace processes.

Laying the foundation

For Larissa Mina Lee, who, together with Luana de Souza from our Network and Advocacy team organised and co-facilitated the regional meeting, it was never an end in itself, “much as a feminist network derives its value not from its mere existence, but from what it enables.” The feedback during the meeting and comments shared in social media posts afterwards reveal the shared determination to boost women’s participation in peacebuilding. “Meaning, we did not just hold an event but laid a foundation we can now build on together.”

At the meeting participants already began discussions on how to develop this new network further. Virtual meetings to decide on next steps are in the planning. Participants also voiced needs that could be addressed in webinars, for instance on fundraising. And: with our Feminist Peace Initiatives, we offer support for their own local initiatives and projects to promote the meaningful participation of women in all stages of peace processes, based on needs that communities identify.

We witness here the power, the determination, the solidarity and connection of women.