Including Perspectives of Women Using ICTs to Promote Peace in the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) offer valuable tools for fostering social cohesion and conflict resolution, yet little is known about women's roles in this domain. This study draws on 14 interviews to explore how female Cameroonian peacebuilders used ICTs during the Anglophone Crisis. Findings indicate that low-tech tools, like WhatsApp groups, play a key role in information dissemination, while more advanced technologies remain largely absent despite their growing presence in peacebuilding literature. Whilst this study demonstrates the capacity of ICTs to promote women's involvement in peacebuilding by facilitating participation, protection, and prevention, it also examines existing challenges, including restricted accessibility and technology-facilitated violence. By exploring the intersection of digital peacebuilding and the UN's Women, Peace, and Security Agenda through the lens of the Cameroonian case, we propose an intersectional feminist digital peacebuilding framework, incorporating gender-responsive and locally grounded strategies to better support women's engagement in peacebuilding efforts.