FBA in sub-Saharan Africa

A large number of the world’s conflicts is in Africa. Africa is also the continent where the majority of UN’s peace operations are deployed. FBA is commissioned to support peace and security in the sub-Saharan region.

Contemporary conflicts commonly involve many different armed groups, both state and non-state actors, and tend to spill over borders. Civilian populations are often victims of violence. In order to solve today’s complex, cross-border conflicts and build sustainable peace, regional cooperation is needed.

FBA supports regional actors in sub-Saharan Africa in their efforts for peace, mainly the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Within the framework of Sweden’s development cooperation with sub-Saharan Africa, FBA is focused on two areas:

Women, peace and security
Women have traditionally played a marginalized role in peace processes in the region. ECOWAS aims at increasing the participation of women in their work, and at better recognizing and meeting the different security needs of women, men, boys and girls. FBA supports ECOWAS’ gender mainstreaming efforts, for example through training and expert advice.

Dialogue and peace mediation
FBA offers expert advice on dialogue and peace mediation to the AU, in order to stregthen the organization’s role as a key mediator in African conflicts. FBA also offers dialogue and mediation training for ECOWAS and key actors within the ECOWAS member states, in order to enhance their capacity to prevent electoral violence. Violence in connection with elections is a widespread problem in West Africa.

Click here to read the entire strategy for Sweden’s development cooperation with sub-Saharan Africa 2016–2021.

New FBA mission – promote human security in southern Africa

Strengthening Africa’s regional forces for peace

Electoral violence a threat to peace and democratic development

Factsheet about FBA’s work in sub-Saharan Africa (English)

Factsheet about FBA’s work in sub-Saharan Africa (French)

Photo: UN Photo/Catianne Tijerina

Long way to go before women are fully involved in peacebuilding

Twenty years after the UN Security Council resolution 1325 established that women have a right to participate on equal terms in every aspect of the work to prevent and manage conflicts, women’s participation in efforts for peace and security is not yet indisputable.

2020-07-03 10:34

IN THE FIELD

Kristian Edqvist

Training manager in Brussels

Linnéa Lindberg

Adviser to the UN in Myanmar

Johan Chytraeus

Monitoring officer in Ukraine

Julia Kempny

Political adviser in Somalia

Vanda Dahlbom

Analyst in Iraq

Björn Tedeman

Election observer

Karolina Riedel

Statistician in election observation missions

Read our publications

An Introduction to Human Rights and Security Sector Reform

Successful security sector reform (SSR) must be guided by the understanding of people as rights-holders and the state, including core security actors, as duty-bearers in providing security as a service to the people.

Documents

An Introduction to Human Rights and Security Sector Reform

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The feedback means a lot to me since it indicates that we achieved what we had set out to do. I and my colleagues at the ... Read entire post »
2020-06-26 13:29
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This year marks the 20th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325), a groundbreaking step for gender equality in international peace and security. Nine resolutions have followed and together they make up what we today call the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda.

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