Sudanese Women and Human Rights Defenders Call for Unity to Stop Bloodshed – Global Issues
KHARTOUM, Sudan, Nov 29 (IPS) – On 15 April 2023, the outbreak of war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) drastically changed the face of Sudanese society. This war left thousands of people dead, injured, homeless and refugees.
People are starving, civil rights are being horribly violated, and discrimination is perpetrated on the basis of gender, race and ethnicity. Across the country, infrastructure was destroyed in towns and villages – even hospitals and schools were spared – and the capital Khartoum was a ruined city unfit for life.
According to UN estimates, some 10.9 million people are now internally displaced within Sudan. Some 2.2 million people have fled to other countries since the conflict began. Food shortages are rampant, and warring groups regularly attack and kill civilians.
Despite this alarming situation, international attention to the conflict has waned and humanitarian support has been disrupted – earlier this month, Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that called for a ceasefire and critical humanitarian aid.
Few have suffered more in this war than women’s human rights defenders (WHRDs).
At first, my family and I were displaced from a safe place in central Sudan and together with other human rights defenders, I worked as a volunteer in shelters, contributing to providing services to displaced people and raising awareness of civil rights.
After the RSF invaded the area, we were expelled again, I went to Uganda after the security risks increased as the war escalated. From February 2024, I continue my journalistic and public work with human rights organizations and journalists to stop the war and protect civilians.
WHRDs in Sudan face many risks as a result of this ongoing and extended conflict. They are subject to armed threats, elimination, and imprisonment; security agencies threaten to prosecute WHRDs who work in emergency shelters that provide services and support to the displaced. These threats sometimes extend to family members, too.
Security agencies are stalking and pursuing WHRDs, targeting them and their relatives. This is especially true for those who work in the legal field and monitor violations; they are forced to flee and seek refuge in other regions and countries, which leads to the closing of law offices and the loss of the right to work.
WHRDs in Sudan are at risk of being accused of spying on one side of the war against the other, leading to armed men confiscating their phones and increased insecurity in using social media and exposure to the risk of being hacked.
Many of the WHRD were forced to leave their homes and sick family members in difficult conditions without money or means of protection, and although they hated to leave their countries, they were forced to seek refuge in other countries.
Many of those who were forced to flee their homes because of the fighting did so on foot, with no belongings; they flee to other places or stay with relatives, they are always at risk of violence and robbery by armed men on their migration routes.
Their freedom of movement is restricted, with threats of death and rape by armed men and the robbery of telephones, forcing them to remain silent and not reveal their violations out of fear. As a result, they often lose contact with relatives and other WHRD groups for a long time.
The ever-expanding militancy has led many WHRDs to face repeated displacement situations, leading to the evacuation of large displacement structures involving thousands of people, including these women defenders and their families.
When they go there, they face the dangers of bullets and shells as well as the injuries of children and patients, which brings a constant feeling of fear, which is often awakened by hearing familiar sounds.
In addition to the risk of looting and attacks, by repeatedly being forced to leave their homes and shelters behind, women’s human rights defenders were at risk of being separated from their families and losing their jobs.
These difficult conditions have adversely affected women’s human rights defenders economically, socially and psychologically, and have affected the work of human rights in monitoring violations and protecting and defending human rights in the middle of a deadly war.
The international community must show solidarity with the people of Sudan – especially our female human rights defenders – and support our efforts to end the war and build peace in Sudan.
Madiha Abdalla She is a Sudanese human rights defender and journalist. He recently traveled to Ireland to speak about his experiences as part of the Front Line Defenders’ Dublin Platform, which aims to give a voice to human rights defenders at risk around the world.
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
