Action in Bukavu

Between October 14th and 17th, the closing action of the Third International Action of the World March of Women will be held in Bukavu (province of South Kivu) in the Democratic Republic of Congo. An international delegation composed mostly by African women from other countries in conflict around the world will participate.

 What is this?
The global action for 2010 was defined during the Seventh International Meeting of the World March of Women held in Galicia, in October 2008, with the participation of 148 women from 48 countries. Its political content is expressed by the WMW’s four fields of action: violence against women, economical autonomy for women, the common good and public services, peace and demilitarization.

In 2010 we address the two main axes of our movement: the struggle against poverty and violence against women.

In Galicia we considered the possibility of organizing different activities in countries with conflict situations, such as Colombia, Palestine and Sudan. We are looking for a way to express concrete solidarity with women of all these countries. Ultimately, we chose to finish our 2010 action in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo.

We’ve decided that for the following: The characteristics of the conflicts in the Great Lakes’ region, the organized resistance of women, the possibility of a specific contribution from the WMW. Conflicts in the Great Lakes’ region have persisted for over 10 years. During this time the rape of women, girls and boys are routinely used to humiliate, shame and demoralize the population ,as well as an act of genocide. Conflicts labeled as “ethnic” (justified by ethnic conflits) mask the underlying economical causes: control over the region’s mineral resources and biodiversity, and the profit of the armament  industries and local industries of security.
In 2010 the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) will complete 10 years of presence in the region. However the institutional and security fragility persists and worsens contradictions. For example, the budget of MONUC for the period 1 July 2009- 30 June 2010 is U.S. $ 1350 million (http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/monuc/facts.html) while the national government budget for 2008 is less than U.S. $ 800 million (http://www.afdb.org/en/countries/central-africa/democratic-republic-of-congo/).

This environment ensures continuity in the work with women, which we hope will be strengthened by our action. The WMW has its own contribution because of our history in the region. In the context of the international action in 2000, five coalitions of women's associations of Burundi, Congo DR (North and South Kivu) and Rwanda began to work together. They created the COCAFEM-GL (Collective of Associations working for the promotion of Women in the Great Lakes Region of Africa) and developed a common platform.

Organization:
At the first international planning mission, that took place in October, 2009, the format of the action was defined:  two days of panel discussions on the four action areas of the WMW, one day of food sovereignty fair, and one day of protests in the streets where women should  speak out against war and for peace.  Planned activities also include planting trees and the inauguration of a memorial to honor women who have been victims of violence in the DRC, particularly the women who were buried alive in the Mwenda territory (Kasika).

Our sisters in Bukavu held a meeting in early January to present the action in which close to 500 women participated. Eight work commissions were formed at the meeting, including logistics, finance / fundraising, and program commissions. 
In addition to North and South Kivu and Kinshasa, the March is also being organized in provinces in Eastern Kasai and Katanga.

To participate :

To improve the organization of our activity, we have sent pre-registration forms to the National Coordinating Bodies for their local participants to sign up. These forms should be sent back by March 30th, to the following e-mail:  bukavu@marchemondiale.org. For more information on how to participate, please contact your National Coordination (contact list: http://www.marchemondiale.org/structure/cn-groupe/en/) or write us.

Through our presence in the DRC, and from our own countries, we will carry out actions to denounce the systematic use of raping women, girls, and boys, the interests of control over the mineral resources and biodiversity in the region, as well as the profits of the armament industry and of private security companies. 

We hope to show that demilitarization is possible in the region and to challenge the current paradigm in which the military missions of the U.N. – so-called stabilization missions – became  permanent. In 2010, the United Nations Mission in the DRC (MONUC) will complete 10 years of its presence without ceasing the violence against the local population, particularly in South and North Kivu.


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