The Role of Women in Peacebuilding in Conflict-Affected Communities of Nasarawa State

Women in conflict-affected communities across Nigeria's North Central zone have increasingly assumed informal peacebuilding roles that formal peace processes rarely recognize or institutionalize, despite evidence from global scholarship regarding the positive contribution of women's participation to peace durability. This study examines the roles women play in peacebuilding in conflict-affected communities of Nasarawa State. A qualitative design was employed, with twenty in-depth interviews conducted with women peacebuilders identified through civil society networks in Lafia, Karu, and Toto local government areas. Eight focus group discussions were also conducted with women's community groups in areas affected by farmer-herder conflicts. The Feminist Peace Theory was applied as the analytical framework. Findings reveal that women engaged in peacebuilding through diverse informal mechanisms including inter-ethnic market relationships maintained during conflict periods, provision of safe passage for displaced persons through domestic networks, and negotiation of hostage releases through maternal solidarity appeals to armed actors. Women's peace activities were consistently undervalued, underfunded, and excluded from formal peace committee membership despite documented effectiveness. Access to peace process participation was constrained by cultural norms governing women's movement during conflict, illiteracy, and lack of organizational support. Women who had experienced direct violence were more, not less, likely to engage in active peacebuilding, suggesting trauma-to-agency pathways. Recommendations include mandatory female representation quotas in formal peace committees, dedicated funding streams for women-led peacebuilding organizations in Nasarawa State, and documentation of women's informal peace contributions for inclusion in official records. Keywords: women, peacebuilding, conflict, Nasarawa State, feminist peace theory.