Farida Ahmed
The prominent presence of Sudanese women during the revolution did not come from a vacuum, but was built on a long history of the Sudanese women's movement, which was one of the first active movements in the region, and the first woman elected to parliament in Africa and the Middle East was also Sudanese, Fatima Ahmed Ibrahim, according to The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
After the overthrow of Bashir, the hopes of the Sudanese women were high, and their expectations of obtaining their rights to mid-term representation in all organs of the transitional authority were high, especially as their participation in the opposition against the former regime was very effective, starting with organizing demonstrations and protests, sheltering rebels, sit-in and social support, and their role was not limited to Support only men, but beyond him to lead the daily resistance action.
Dreams of women
In May, Sudanese women launched a campaign to achieve equal participation in the mechanisms of change, and women gaining half the seats in all organs of the Transitional Authority.
The forces of change had previously expressed their commitment to fair representation of women in all their mechanisms and institutions of the Transitional Authority, but did not actually adhere to that proportion, and the agreed fair women's participation was absent from the various organizations in the decision-making committees on change.
The actual female presence appeared to be lower than the agreed percentage, prompting women leaders to launch a sit-in in the field of sit-in in front of the army headquarters in the capital Khartoum, under the name of "Sudan Women for Change" and demanding the required participation of women in the transitional period.
6 women in power
Three months after that event, Sudan's Transitional Military Council issued a decree establishing a sovereign council that would lead the transition for 39 months, consisting of 11 members, six civilians and five military personnel.
Women hold only two of six civilian posts in the 11-member Sudanese sovereign council and are due to run the country for three years until elections are held, according to Reuters.
In September, Sudan's first government was formed since the ousting of President Omar al-Bashir on April 11, and Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdouk appointed only four women to positions, most notably Asmaa Mohamed Abdallah for foreign affairs, other women in youth, sports and higher education. Labor and social development are among 18 portfolios in the transitional government.
"Many women suffered from their role in the revolution, not only in the streets, but also in their homes to be part of the protests," Hadia Hassaballah, a professor of gender studies at Ahfad Women's University in Omdurman, told Reuters. We thought it was worth it, that our rights will be given priority in the new government. It is disappointing to marginalize us after the sacrifices we have made. Bashir has gone, but this attitude towards women continues. ”
Some may see the picture from another angle. After decades of deliberate absence of women, Bashir was symbolically allocated 25 percent of the seats in the Sudanese parliament, and no woman held a cabinet post, Time said. Empowerment through 4 ministerial portfolios for the first time in its history.
Sudanese wrath
But it was disappointing for Sudanese women who faced power and advanced protest lines, prompting some women activists to travel to the United Nations to seek international support for their struggle for equal representation of women in the new government.
"Women have led neighborhood committees and sit-ins, and they are banning curfews even during the declared state of emergency, which left them vulnerable to security forces," says Alaa Salah, the icon of the Sudanese revolution, at a UN Security Council meeting on women, peace and security on October 29. "Many of them were exposed to tear gas, threats and attacks, and thrown into prison without any charge or fair trial."
“Despite this obvious role, women have been placed on the sidelines of the formal political process that followed the revolution,” Alaa said, noting that women are being excluded as Sudan struggles to build a new state.
"There is no excuse not to have equal seats at every table, after decades of struggle, and all we risked to remove Bashir's dictatorship peacefully, gender inequality is not and will never be acceptable to girls and women in Sudan," she said.
Sudanese activist Samah Jamous, who participated in the UN event, told Time magazine, "We see every day a committee being formed, all men, and this is very frustrating."
"Despite what they say, when it comes to implementation, they return to the same mentality that women do not see around, or do not see them as suitable candidates to be in such positions."