Sudan neighborhood summit: Sudan’s women must be protected and included
Women’s groups and activists from across Sudan have presented their priorities to regional leaders meeting for peace talks in Cairo today.
More than 50 groups from across Sudan have called on the country’s neighbours to protect women and girls affected by the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces. Their statement asks the summit participants to ensure that women are included in Sudan’s peace process, that they protect women and girls from sexual violence and exploitation, and provide them with access to basic necessities.
The summit commencing today has been called by the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and hosts the leaders of the Central African Republic, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya, and South Sudan, representing the most significant regional peace talks since the conflict began in April this year.
The statement presented to President El-Sisi appreciates the efforts of neighbouring countries in hosting many thousands of Sudanese displaced by the violence, and the summit’s aims to resolve the crisis peacefully.
Recalling UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, the groups call on the summit participants to:
Foster an end to the war with no more truces that proved to be ineffective and propose ways to sustain the end of the armed conflict with clear monitoring mechanism all over Sudan.
Ensure civilians’ security, where military troops pull out from cities and evacuate houses and localities to allow prompt return of Sudanese from neighboring countries.
Protect civilians including women and girls from any form of violence, in particular conflict-related sexual violence.
Ensure immediate delivery of humanitarian assistance to people affected inside Sudan and in neighboring countries
Exercise their leadership to facilitate entry visas for Sudanese who need medical evacuation, older people, women and children who are stranded at the borders.
Contribute to rehabilitation of the infrastructure of the social services, and the economy.
Support women's organizations in Sudan to provide services such as counseling, legal support, and healthcare to women who have been affected by the crisis.
Emphasize the importance to harmonize all initiatives seeking to support Sudan to overcome its crisis in order to ensure inclusive, just and lasting peace in Sudan
Samia ElHashmi, Mutawinat
Commenting on the opportunity represented by the summit, signatory Samia ElHashmi said:
“The conflict in Sudan has had devastating effects across the country, with women and girls disproportionately affected. Responding to their needs must then be correspondingly high on the peace agenda.
“The effects of the violence are not limited by Sudan’s borders. Millions of Sudanese have been displaced, with hundreds of thousands seeking refuge in neighboring countries. We thank all countries hosting refugees from the conflict, and appreciate the efforts of the Egyptian President in hosting today’s peace summit, and all participating governments seeking a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
“To this end, we ask that all parties acknowledge the need for women to be part of the peace process and take actions for women to participate meaningfully. We ask them to ensure the needs of women and girls are recognized and addressed in discussions and in humanitarian response.
“The signatories to our joint statement come from right across Sudan, they include women working at national, local and regional levels, emergency rooms, professionals, young people, people with disabilities, and many more. These are voices that need to be part of the process in order for a sustainable peace to be achieved in Sudan.“