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By Irène Chiewouo Kuetche
CIPS Policy Brief, January 2025

• For several years, Cameroon has faced several crises, notably the fight against Boko Haram, a militant group responsible for many incidents for over a decade in the northern, far northern, and Adamaoua regions of the country. The resulting security abuses and repercussions are exacerbated by sociopolitical crises in the Central African Republic to the east and in Adamaoua. These problems are also accompanied by internal security crises which have raged since 2016 in the northwest and southwest of the country, resulting from secessionist threats from these predominantly Anglophone regions.
• Armed conflicts threatening peace have created a climate of insecurity across the entirety of Cameroon.
• To address these waves of violence that are destabilizing the country, the Cameroonian state and its national and international partners have undertaken both official and covert actions with the goal of resolving these conflicts and re-establishing peace and security for both Cameroonian citizens and neighbouring countries.
• These state actions have showcased diverse political actors playing important roles in the process of fighting against violence, and attempting to consolidate peace efforts in Cameroon.
• Therefore, “grey” unreleased literature from the state has extensively identified the political actors responsible for the multitude of issues, with gender profiles being sketched out for each case.
• It has become evident that in the reconstruction processes, questions about the roles of women in the future of Cameroon have become contentious.
• This analysis therefore seeks to display evidence that shows the crucial role women play amidst the political fragility of Cameroon, exploring the effects that their inclusion may have on the resolution of conflicts. This analysis is supported by a literature review that examines the impact of gender roles in increasing state fragility in Cameroon through internal and external armed conflicts.

Irène CHIEWOUO KUETCHE is Cameroonian, holding a Ph.D doctorate in sociology. Her research primarily is oriented towards questions of gender and population, as well as examining disabilities and development. She is an associate professor at the University of Yaoundé as part of the Gender and Development Master’s program. Dr. Kuetche is also associated with the Cameroonian laboratory CERESC and works as a technical consultant for the Human Science Research Council of South Africa. Since December 2024, she is an affiliated member of the EDID-GHDI Partnership (Gender, Handicap, and Inclusive Development) and is currently pursuing research about the mobility of disabled women in Cameroon. A social entrepreneur as well, she holds the position of Technical Director at the Association des Acteurs de Développement (ADEV) where she advocates for the promotion of an inclusive and fair society, environmental protection, and the prevention of climate change. In addition since November 2024, she has been recognized as an AWARD Fellow pour her work on the inaugural event « Promouvoir le leadership des femmes africaines à l’égard de l’action climatique » (AAWLCA), a program attempting to raise the level of African women in climate action.

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