In Solidarity With Women Across Africa: We Join Millions Around The World To Celebrate International Women’s Day

International Women's Day (IWD) is observed each year on 8th March. This day is a tradition born from the early 20th-century activism of women advocating for labour rights and gender equality. Between 1909 and 1911, working women in the United States, united under the National Women’s Trade Union League and other groups, rallied against low wages, insufficient protective legislation, and harsh working conditions.

These protests were intensified by the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in March 1911 in New York City, which claimed the lives of over 140 young women, predominantly Italian and Jewish immigrants. This devastating event exposed the dire working conditions and exploitation faced by women workers, culminating today into observing every year, the International Women’s Day.

In Europe, Clara Zetkin and the Socialist Women’s International championed the idea of designating March 8 as a global day to recognize women’s labour rights. What began as a call for solidarity among working women eventually inspired historic events, including the general strike in St. Petersburg in 1917, where 10,000 women textile workers sparked the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia.

International Women’s Day was later officially recognized by the United Nations as a day to honour the women’s contributions and advocate for gender equality and women’s rights globally. Anchored in international instruments, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Beijing Platform for Action and the Sustainable Development Goals, this historic event was envisaged to throw light on labour injustices, and highlight the critical role of women in peace and nation-building.

8th March, 2025 today marks also the second anniversary of the establishment of the New African Charter International (NACI) and our renewed commitment to promoting and defending the human rights of African women and their security in all spheres of political, economic, social, cultural and environmental development.

However, in Africa and in particular in the conflict-affected areas of the continent, the observance of International Women's Day takes on a different tongue, encompassed by the impacts of proxy wars, violence, political instability, foreign aggression and occupation. For African women, International Women’s Day serves as a reflection on their plight rather than a cause for celebration. For this year, we seize this moment to salute all the brave women of Africa, who are standing up against the heinous crimes African women have been subjected to.

Plainly speaking, women in Africa have borne the brunt of the menace of terrorism, proxy criminal wars and brutal occupation and merciless rape of Africa’s natural resources and wealth. The New African Charter International therefore, is appalled at the psychological trauma of genocide and war crime and the staggering revelation of the scale of the silent and painful tragedy that has become the order of the day in most parts of Africa.

As a Pan-African platform, on this day, we reiterate our support and solidarity for and with African women as they strive to shed light on the overlooked needs and equality issues they faced on the continent. We join those women in their just struggle, which is aimed at ending the proxy wars and violence, and achieving sustainable peace in all parts of Africa.

It is no more a secret to say that African women carry the heaviest burdens and bear the greatest weight of the proxy wars and terror campaigns that are being unleashed in most parts of Africa today. Libya, Sudan, Somalia, the Sahel region, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Nigerian, Ethiopia and Mozambique for instance, represent the worst case of human barbarity in the world. The case of the DRC in particular is a classic example where women in the occupied mineral rich Eastern region face unimaginable pains and hardships, grappling with the tale of destruction and devastation of their lands, while navigating societal stigma and barriers that infringed upon their rights and dignity.

This arduous journey is a reflection of the dire challenges African women face in their pursuit of truth, justice and freedom. The plight of African women is one in which they lived in condition of deprived basic human rights, which are guaranteed in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and eclipsed in what diplomats may referred to as the international bill of rights for women or CEDAW (The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly.

In the Sahel region as in the case of Eastern DRC or Ethiopia, Nigeria or Mozambique, women are being subjected to widespread human rights violations particularly sexual violence and enforced disappearances. Article 2 of the United Nations Convention against Torture categorizes enforced disappearance as a grave violation, encompassing actions like arrest, detention, abduction, or any form of liberty deprivation carried out by state agents or individuals acting with state authorization, support, or acquiescence. But this is allowed to happen in Africa with impunity, compounding the distress of affected families, communities, villages, towns and cities.

On this historic day of commemoration of women struggles around the world, the New African Charter International stands shoulder to shoulder with African women in condemning proxy criminal wars, violence and human rights’ abuses as acts that erode human dignity in Africa. We stand against the use of African territories as staging posts to unleash heinous crime, genocide, war crime and crime against humanity on the continent.

Furthermore, we demand France, the United States and their allies, and local collaborators be held accountable for their actions towards African women and girls and their violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. It is our view that there can be no durable peace and stability until all African women across the continent are safe and are empowered to contribute to the peace, development and prosperity of Africa. Most of all, we re-echo the cries of women in the Sahel, Nigeria, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Mozambique, the DRC, Ethiopia, etc. who share their horrible experiences with ongoing proxy criminal wars, violence and environmental degradation across the continent.

Today there are compelling, credible and mounting evidence to vindicate independent reports of a healthcare and humanitarian crisis, civilian deaths, pellet blinding and other injuries in attacks by foreign terrorists and occupation armies in the Sahel region, the DRC, Nigeria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Mozambique, and Ethiopia. There are also reports of torture, molestations, arbitrary arrests, and the severe curtailment of freedom of opinion, expression, and information; assembly and movement; and religious freedoms in those conflict-affected areas of Africa.

What is glaring more are reports, which explain how family men are being forced to stand while their women are being raped. In the DRC for instance, there are credible reports that women have no freedom, let alone protection in society due to state terrorism by Rwandan and Ugandan occupation forces on the ground. Their husbands, brothers and children are brutally murdered in front of their eyes. They have made women in the DRC victims of a proxy war of territorial expansionism, thievery of natural resources and ethnic purification in East of that mineral-rich country.

The situation remains worse as ever in most parts of war-torn areas. Women in those parts of Africa carry the burden of their murdered men as they also, are unable to earn livelihood for themselves and for their children in the presence of foreign terrorists and occupation armies. In this situation, women are forced to live in fear, while the media focuses on reporting the advance movements of terrorist groups and occupation armies in the frontlines. The merciless rape of African resources is continuing through those proxy wars and brutal occupation of Africa’s territories.

Through this public statement, we wish to express our tribute to women in Africa, who are facing violence, terrorism, crackdown, fake encounters, disappearances, brutal torture and killing but still struggling to have their rights.

For the international community, women in the war-torn areas of Africa are a forgotten world. If such crimes like violence, terrorism, disappearances, killing and sexual assault against women are committed elsewhere, besides Africa, the international community will take swift action to remedy the situation and prevent it from escalating. But when it comes to Africa, the international community will only react to protect the interests of foreign powers, and not African people. When it’s happening in Africa as it is the case now, the response is just deaf ears, silent and blind eyes diplomacy, which unfortunately only adds more salt to injury. No one cares but only how to loot Africa’s resources at the pity and mercy of the African people.

It is unfortunate that this is happening in the 21st century where foreign powers have vowed to promote and defend the sanctity of human rights and human dignity. It is happening in today’s global village where distance is no more obstacle to connect one community with the other.

Common sense teaches that violence against women is not only a crime against humanity, but also an unpardonable sin. The international community must be seen taking action to prevent violations of human rights and taking action against perpetrators of this heinous crime in Africa. Support for the fulfillment of the rights of African women is imperative to wipe off the tears of women and rekindled their hope for peace, justice and dignity in Africa. This is a naturally-acclaimed demand and a matter of responsibility, and not a matter of choice.

The international community must wake from the slumber and act now to end the proxy criminal wars and violence that are taking place across Africa. We urge also African leaders to unite against terrorism and violence, promoting peace, love, and harmony on the continent. We assure women in Africa that they are not alone in their struggle for peace, human rights and human dignity. We will continue to advocate their plight and until justice is achieved.

We stand in solidarity with all countries of Africa that have been affected by the underhand games of foreign powers, and we will continue to work together for the good of all African people. Until the plight of African women is addressed, International Women’s Day will remain not an event to celebrate, but another arduous chapter in the struggle for fulfilment of the rights and dignity of women across Africa.

May God bless Africa and keep all Africans safe!

Long live Africa for the happiness of all Africans of present and future generations!!

Signed by:
Alimamy Bakarr Sankoh
President and co-founder
The New African Charter International (NACI)

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