Statement of the Sudanese Women

Your Excellency Ambassador Abdi Mohamoud Eyde

Your Excellency Ambassador Bankole Adeoye

Your Excellency Madam Bineta Diop

Distinguished Members of the Peace and Security Council, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives from the UN agencies, and regional economic communities

Good morning.

We express our appreciation for the opportunity to speak before the Peace and Security Council of the African Union as we mark 23rd anniversary of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. We are here today, representing 80 diverse groups, coalitions, and networks of Sudanese women peace builders. Our message today is formulated from the collective voices of over 400 Sudanese women from 14 out of the 18 states of Sudan who were consulted in July and August 2023 with the support of the UN Women.

Today, we remember the significant contributions of Sudanese women, especially younger women, in the Revolution of December 2018.  They advocated for freedom, peace, and justice. The revolution demonstrated their resilience   knowledge, skills, and the to push for equal participation and representation in all decision-making structures, including political and peace processes. The revolution gave us hope that gender justice and equality was possible in Sudan. 

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

Sadly, the current war erupted which has not only diminish our hope but has caused   untold human suffering and financial crises. Over 9 million people have been displaced, 69% of the internally displaced persons are women. 90% of refugees crossing the border to Chad and other countries are women and girls. Over 24 million people require humanitarian assistance, with 4 million women and girls are at risk of gender-based violence, mainly in conflict hotspots like Khartoum, Darfur, and Kordofan.

In the midst of the fragile security situation, Sudanese women endure significant hardship as they strive to secure food, medicine, water, shelter, and essential needs while men often avoid venturing outside due to fear of being murdered, detained, tortured, or kidnapped.

The war has profoundly affected the livelihoods of Sudanese women throughout the country. Vulnerable and marginalized women face additional economic burdens due to displacement, especially those residing in IDP camps and shelters such as schools and hostels. These shelters are not safe for women, as several cases of gender-based violence have been documented. In addition to the dire humanitarian situation, there is limited and in some cases lack of access to basic services    especially sexual and reproductive health related services. Even the women living in communities less impacted by the conflict struggle to survive due to the burden of care for displaced relatives.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, Sudanese women’s bodies are used as weapons of war, where they are systematically raped by armed forces. Women from certain ethnic groups were targeted with different forms of sexual violence including rape, such as what is currently happening in Elginena, the capital of West Darfur state.

In these challenging times, we, Sudanese women remain extraordinarily resilient. We have created an inclusive platform comprised of women from different regions, age groups, and ethnic backgrounds. Our common message is immediate end of war. Sudanese women continue to demand an immediate cessation of hostilities, seek humanitarian aid, ensure the provision of social services, and safeguard women from all forms of violence, especially Conflict-Related Sexual Violence. However, women-led organizations and women human rights defenders are facing challenges and limitations including targeted harassment, arrest, and obstruction of organizations' activities.

Sudanese women actively participate in providing humanitarian assistance through "Emergency Rooms," monitoring human rights abuses as part of the "Emergency Lawyers" Group, and volunteering in Community Based Organizations who remain the first responders. We recognize and appreciate the recent emerging national civilian initiatives to end the war, establish a civil government, and return to a democratic transition. These initiatives provide opportunities for women to engage and advocate for women’s representation and inclusion. We also recognize the international efforts to mediate between the warring parties, but these efforts are lacking meaningful women’s voices. We strongly confirm that sustainable peace for Sudan can only be achieved through equal and meaningful participation of women in the ongoing peace process.

Excellencies, ladies, and gentlemen,

We are grateful for the support of the African Union, IGAD and UN Women that has enabled the establishment of the Sudanese Women’s Platform that has mobilized women to advocate for peace and ensure women’s inclusion in all peace processes.

We call on the members of the Peace and Security Council to amplify these efforts in line with peace-related regional and international instruments including the UNSCR 1325, UNSCR 2250, the African Charter on Human and People’s Right, the African Road Map on Silencing the Gun, and the Maputo protocol to:

1. Put pressure on the warring parties to immediately end the war, adopt a permanent ceasefire, and secure safe humanitarian corridors, with proper monitoring mechanisms to ensure the implementation of the recent Agreement in Jeddah, signed on November 7th, 2023.
2. Ensure inclusive and meaningful women's participation in all peace and political processes and enact temporary special measures of at least 50% of women representation to ensure that women are an integral part of the “trust-building measures” between the conflicting parties.
3. Enforce the African instruments including the Maputo Protocol, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa and the African Union Continental Results Framework on Women, Peace and Security to protect women from Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV), abduction, trafficking, forced disappearance, and exploitation, and monitor these violations against international human rights and humanitarian laws.
4. Support the integration of women's priorities and agenda in the ongoing efforts to end the war and in the expected transition and post-conflict reconstruction.
5. Consider the “Kampala Declaration” as a Women, Peace, and Security reference for the African Union to consider during the support to Sudan to end the conflict and beyond.