Women Roles and Women Recognition in Post-Amnesty Reintegration Processes in the Niger Delta, Nigeria

The contributions made by women were disregarded in the post-amnesty reintegration peacebuilding efforts within the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Women actively participated in nonviolent protests, advocacy, and care-giving. Additionally, there were a considerable number of women who supported violent conflict by acting as spies for militants and transporting weapons and ammunition. This paper centers on the role played by women during the Niger Delta conflict and their level of involvement in reaching resolutions. It also delves into gender bias present throughout peacebuilding processes. This study employed Symbolic Interaction Theory established by W.I Thomas which posits that if society perceives a situation as real, it has real consequences. The theory explains how critical part women are in resolving conflicts and participating in peacebuilding initiatives. Qualitative data collection techniques were utilized to gather information from forty-four women across purposively selected locations in Delta State: Traditional Figures (2); Youths (12); Community Organizations (12); Local Government Staff (12); Non-Governmental Organizations (6). It was discovered that resolutions to this conflict included negotiation, compensation, empowerment, amnesty, disarmament demobilization & reintegration(DDR), yet despite contributing significantly towards achieving these goals -women's roles; including militancy, mobilization strikes, campaigns, demonstrations, caregiving, support amongst others such as violent & non-violent were not recognized or acknowledged following the conclusion of hostilities. This paper concludes that gender bias exists within post-amnesty peace-building processes necessitating recognition of women's contributions via reparations within Nigeria's Niger Delta region.