SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Independent - After the Sudanese uprisings, women’s rights hang in the balance
Nada Mustafa Ali, a lecturer in women’s gender and sexuality studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston, calls for women to have “meaningful” participation at all levels of Sudanese civilian government, with commitments to gender equality and women’s human rights are entrenched in constitutional, legal and policy reform.
Stating that the transitional military council has created a difficult atmosphere for women’s participation and rights, Ali suggests that Sudan can learn from “partial successes in post-conflict [African] countries.”
She notes that Rwanda “has one of the highest number of women legislators in the world,” and introduced several laws that promote women’s rights, with Liberia’s “broad and vibrant women’s peace movement [playing] a key role in resisting the oppressive government,” and electing Africa’s first woman president.
Ali concludes that Sudan must build a strong and independent women’s movement that reflects the diverse priorities, realities, and visions of Sudanese women.