Former female combatants and the civil war peace process: lessons learned in the contrasting experiences of Guatemala and Mozambique

Former female combatants are rarely, if ever, engaged in the negotiations of the civil war peace process, despite the existent international resolutions and rhetoric for their inclusion. There is a void in the “Gender and Development” literature, addressing the linkage between the role of former female combatants in the civil war peace process and benefits towards the engenderment of the outcomes. The question under examination, “How do former female combatants impact the civil war peace process when involved, and what were the initial outcomes of the former female combatants in different case studies (one case study with their inclusion versus one case study with their exclusion)?”, will address this issue in the context of two specific case studies Guatemala, and Mozambique. Overall, the inclusion of female former combatants within the accords, does open the space for women as key protagonists of development, but does not equate to inclusive equality post-conflict.