SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: AFP – Sudan women fight gender imbalance

24/8/19: AFP – Sudan women fight gender imbalance

 AFP’s feature piece examines women’s under-representation in Sudan’s new institutions, with women poorly represented in the power-sharing negotiation committees, despite the Forces of Freedom and Change’s chief negotiator being Ibtisam Sanhouri.  

 AFP note that the power-sharing agreement ceremony featured one female speaker (the host), a scene that woman activist Rabah Sadeq called “a slap in our face.”

 Samahir el-Mubarak, a Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) spokeswoman, attributed women’s absence in Sudanese institutions to “the organizations and political parties that are active in the transition [always excluding] women.  She expressed optimism that this would change, but warned of another revolution if not.

 SPA member Sarah Abdul Laleel added that political parties lacked public trust, and called for a debate to find new ways to integrate women in Sudan’s institutions.

 Sudanese prime minister Hamdok said: “we have to concentrate on women’s participation. Sudanese women played a very big part in our revolution.”