COMINSUD joint National Coordinators of the Civil Peace Service (CPS) for a 04 days peer learning workshop at CIPCRE Bafoussam from 7th -10th July. 25 participants in total drawn from Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Democratic Republic of Congo will explore the context of Women in Crisis, Advocacy and Women Empowerment as well as trauma healing approaches to build resilience in women. The peer learning in its 7th inter-country exchange session is supported by the Bread for the World, Germany within the context of the civil Peace Service Project.
The CPS project in Cameroon is running since 2013 with National Organizations under the Bread for the World Cluster with 17 partners as well as GIZ and AGIAMONDO. COMINSUD’s work in the CPS since 2014 initially focused on inter-ethnic, land and natural resources management conflicts. Since 2017, COMINSUD has been active in promoting the notions of Just and Peaceful societies via the values of Positivity, Equality, Inclusion, Tolerance and Non-Violence. Armed crisis running since 2017 has destabilized economic, social and political systems in the North West and South West Region at the Scale that triggered international humanitarian action.
Beyond humanitarian interventions for survival, COMINSUD is active via the CPS project with various community peace building and peace education initiatives aimed at reducing suffering on civilians and seeking to raised voice to bring an end to the armed conflict.
Some facts and figures recorded by COMINSUD in its 2025 monitoring of incidences in the NW/SW Regions
- Over 200 cases of deaths linked associated with the use of arms: Over 85 civilians, 65 members of the State Security Forces and 50 members of the Non- State Armed Groups (NSAGs) with 25 incidences of unidentified corpses.
- Over 95 cases of kidnapping were recorded; 9 humanitarian workers amongst whom were 5 women that spent 5 days in captivity amidst torture and payment of ransom.
- Extortion of civilians at road control points manned by State Security forces and members of NSAGs. In December, those traveling to Boyo were compelled to pay “liberation tax” (10,000frs for men – 16 euros, 5,000frs for women – 8 euros, while vehicles paid a range of 30,000 – 70,000frs which is about 50 – 110 euros).
- Over 156 cases of missing persons were raised with 78 females of which 21 were children below10, 35 adolescents’ girls and 14 women.
- Over 15 cases of gender-based violence and gruesome physical violence were recorded directed towards women and girls from which 8 died.
- Political expression and participation remain limited as extremist groups called on the population to abstained from participating in elections. The population especially women continue to losses their rights to choose decisions-maker or represent their interest. In 2025, two female deputy mayors were killed.
- some women are very active within the circles of the armed groups as fighters and informants.
At the Peer Learning Workshop, COMINSUD will be sharing its work on building resilience, contributing to strengthening the psychosocial and economic capacities for women to cope in crisis context as well as learn from other countries.
Based on the resilient project, funded by Bread for the World Germany, COMINSUD has reached out to over 50,000 community members in 08 sub-divisions of the North West Region with information that promotes access to social protection services, risks mitigation, GBV prevention and response. Providing psycho-social support over 5,384 vulnerable persons, 3,942 reported more self-assertive and are using positive coping strategies to recover from adversities. The project has referred 3,304 persons to social protection services, providing direct financial support to 411 vulnerable persons to access social protection services, and accompanied 392 young and middle-aged women in capacity building for microbusiness start-up and management and provided micro-grants 200 young and middle-aged women to start up and expand their businesses.
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Community Initiative for Sustainable Development 