The Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was plagued by a surge of violence between 2016 and 2017. During this time, the Kamuina Nsapu armed group, with the support of some traditional chiefs and political actors, rebelled against the State and security forces. In response to these violent conflicts, Interpeace, in collaboration with its partners Action pour la Paix Concorde (APC) and Travail et Droit de l’Homme (TDH), has been involved in peacebuilding since 2019.

Currently, Interpeace is working with UN Women as well as APC and TDH in Kasai to implement the project ‘Strengthening Women's and Girls' Leadership for Peace’. The project aims to empower women and girls to play a more significant role in peacebuilding and social cohesion in Kasai and Kasai Central. It will achieve this by reinforcing their involvement in community and institutional peacebuilding mechanisms, including permanent dialogue groups (GDP), networks of local mediators, and the province’s Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation Commission.

The project has made training on gender-sensitive peace mechanisms available to female and male members of GDPs. This met a reported need to make actors involved in peace mechanisms more aware of the gender dimensions of their actions, but also promoted women's leadership and participation, which is particularly important because women are exposed to distinctive risks during conflicts. The women who participated in the training have demonstrated exceptional bravery and commitment to mediation.

An illustration of this occurred in the village of Bakwa Kabondo, where a conflict had persisted for two years between young people in the villages of Tshinongo and Bishanga. It had escalated to the point where children from Tshinongo could no longer attend school in Bishanga (where a school was built to receive all Tshofa children), and women from Bishanga could no longer give birth in the maternity hospital in Tshinongo. When local authorities proved unable to reconcile the two camps, a participant in the training on peaceful conflict resolution, together with others, made leaders of the two villages aware of the benefits that peacebuilding could bring to the inhabitants of both villages. The two villages have begun to socialise, and both now use the health centre and the school.

The authorities and members of the peace mechanisms have continued to work to promote inclusive and gender-sensitive governance. After receiving gender sensitivity training, the local authorities decided to integrate women in their decision-making processes. The Deputy Territorial Agent (DTA) of Kakenge took a significant step towards this goal by agreeing to include three women in the expanded Kakenge Security Council. This move has given women in the community a voice. They are role models for other women in Kakenge, who are now confident that their opinions will be heard and their proposals taken into account.

The training also sparked an interest in empowering women police officers in some police stations, including Selenge, which needs a police sub-station. This is a crucial step towards promoting gender equality and ensuring that women have a say in matters that affect their lives.