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By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 20 January 2015:
A group of women from all over Libya has demanded a ceasefire . . .[restrict]and protested that dialogue is the only way to resolve Libya’s problems and to bring peace.
At a two-day UNSMIL meeting organised in Tunis which finished today, the 35 women insisted on “a ceasefire and work towards peaceful dialogue.
They warned that Libyan unity and the safety of its people was now on the line. Libya’s wealth was being frittered away.
“We demand a ceasefire and work towards peaceful dialogue, peace process and the humanitarian situation,” the women said.
They went on to call on all parties to respect humanitarian international law and to ease the suffering of civilians, especially women and children.
“The displacement and violence caused by the armed conflict has had the greatest impact on women,” they said.
They also insisted that women have a significant role to play in the peace-making process.
“We demand that all parties commit to engage women in the dialogue around the settlement of the conflict, rebuilding the state, and the transitional period” they said in a final statement. This referenced past UN Security Council resolutions which had called for the representation of women at all decision-making levels, as well as the empowerment and training of civil society female activists in the areas of negotiation and peace building.
The women also called for the rapid the return of all internally and externally displaced people. They also wanted laws to start transitional justice processes in order to promote reconciliation and the establishment and maintenance of social peace.
Finally, the women demanded that the Arab League, the Arab Maghreb Union and the Peace and Security Council of the African Union take active roles in supporting dialogue, justice and reconciliation in Libya.
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