Major Aichatou Ousmane Issaka

Major Aichatou Ousmane Issaka is currently Deputy Director of Social Work at the Military Hospital of Niamey, after becoming one of the first women in Niger to join the army in 1996. She is also one of the first women in Niger to attend a military academy. Throughout her career, she attended several training courses on Social Work, International Humanitarian Law, Law and Protection of Children in Armed Conflict, and Gender Mainstreaming in Military Operations in many African and European countries. While being a wife and mother of three, Major Aichatou Ousmane Issaka finds work-life balance between her daily responsibilities and her military tasks which often demand her to deploy on the ground. Danger does not stop Major Ousmane who has served throughout Niger, most recently in the Diffa Region, where the Boko Haram terrorist organization continues to threaten the population. Major Ousmane has taken a proactive leadership role in both Niger and most recently Mali where she was deployed within the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) to integrate gender perspectives into peacekeeping activities. Due to her contributions, she received a distinction award from the United Nations (UN); she was awarded the UN’s first World Peace Prize for Military for gender equality in peacekeeping work within the UN force. Major Aichatou Ousmane Issaka is a bright ray of hope for the Sahel. Her advocacy to raise awareness about gender sensitivities in conflict areas is a positive example to her military and Niger’s civil society.