The intensification of an armed conflict in Cabo Delgado Province in northern Mozambique has resulted in the widespread violence against civilians. Women are a recurrent target during armed conflict and remain in a particularly vulnerable position being victims of violence and kidnapping by armed groups, destruction of property, physical attacks and killings, rape, abductions, and lack of access to justice. However, the author argues that viewing women only as passive victims of the conflict does not capture the complexity of the situation. They found that groups of women play an active role in the armed conflict, participating as observers and providers of information, in providing logistical support and camouflage, as recruiters, vigilantes, and even as guerrillas. The author demonstrates how feelings of social injustice are being exploited by insurgent groups as a recruitment and membership strategy. Reversing this vicious cycle will be the biggest challenge for the government, humanitarian organizations, and civil society.
2021