Women and the Peace Process in Mali

After the outbreak of civil war and a coup d’état in 2012, an internationally supported peace process was launched in 2013 to support Mali’s transition. Peace negotiations were held in Algiers in 2014–2015, resulting in the signing of the Bamako Agreement between the government and rebel groups in May and June 2015. While the transitional period was originally designed to cover 2015–2017, the implementation of the Bamako Agreement has been slow and incomplete. Research has shown that conflict and its aftermath may sometimes offer a window of opportunity to reshape gender relations and promote women’s rights (Tripp 2015). Further, commitments outlined in international frameworks such as UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security seek to promote women’s participation in conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Still, women have been marginalized throughout the Malian peace process and their inclusion has received little priority. This policy brief takes a look at women’s inclusion throughout the different stages of the Malian peace process, and identifies some windows of opportunity for increasing women’s participation and advancing their empowerment going forward.