Gender and countering violent extremism (CVE) in the Kenya- Mozambique region

This evidence synthesis drew on a mixture of academic and grey literature. While the literature on Kenyan women and Al-Shabaab was quite extensive (albeit with gaps, e.g. on returnees), nothing was found on women and Ansar al-Sunnah/violent extremist groups operating in northeastern Mozambique and the Mozambique-Tanzania cross-border region. This report should be read in conjunction with two earlier reviews of gender and CVE (Idris & Abdelaziz, 2017; Idris, 2019). This report builds on those – focusing on the literature on gender and CVE published since then, and on recent guidance on CVE programming – rather than reproducing their findings. This report covers three main themes: the role of women in violent extremism and in CVE (drawing on global evidence); Kenyan women’s involvement in Al-Shabaab and approaches to CVE and gender in that country; and recommendations/guidance for gender and CVE programming.