In North Kivu, the fight against insecurity is a major concern. It is in this context that the Women’s Collective for Integral Development and Peacebuilding (COFEDIP) organized a political café in Beni, aiming to equip around forty women with techniques and strategies to combat insecurity. .
This initiative, carried out with the support of the political affairs section of the UN Mission for Stabilization in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), aimed to raise awareness among the women of Beni about their role in the restoration of peace in their environment.
Brigitte Batapoa, president of the board of directors of the NGO COFEDIP, explains: “The objective of this activity was to be able to involve women so that they know that they have to do in the restoration of peace in their entity. We are supposed to report suspicious movements, why not also report them to the appropriate person, so that we can come to our aid as quickly as possible.”
Participants were made aware of the importance of trusting the authorities and reporting any suspicious movements. Yvette Mapati, one of the women who followed the training, underlines: “The enemy comes in different ways. I learned that we must have confidence in our authorities and also take the mechanisms, how to inform the authorities because we live with the enemy, we eat with the enemy. While knowing the characteristics of the enemy, we must warn and report to the authorities in advance.”
This first training was organized in the commune of Mulekera, but COFEDIP plans to reproduce it in other communes of Beni. This is an essential step in enabling women to acquire the knowledge necessary to contribute to the restoration of peace and the fight against insecurity in their community.
This initiative demonstrates the commitment of the women of Beni to play an active role in resolving the security problems facing their region. By equipping them and raising their awareness, COFEDIP and MONUSCO contribute to strengthening the participation of women in the construction of a safer and more peaceful environment.
The fight against insecurity is a collective responsibility and it is essential to involve all actors in society, including women, to achieve lasting results. These training courses therefore constitute an important step towards consolidating peace and building a more resilient society in Beni and North Kivu.