News

Press Statement: Urgent Call for Action on the Crisis in Sudan

Nairobi, 23rd November 2023 — We, the Sudanese and African front-line women peace activists, convened by the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) Network, call for global solidarity with Sudan. The “Feminist Peace and Solidarity Conference: Women Leading Peace,” held on November 22-23, 2023, brought together over 140 participants, with a special focus on the unique challenges faced by women and peacemakers during the ongoing conflict.

Press Release: SIHA to host Pan-African Feminist Peace Conference to Spotlight Gender-Based Violence and Atrocities in Sudan’s Ongoing Conflict

Efforts to maintain and obtain power in Sudan are highly gendered; mass atrocities, including sexual violence, as well as other forms of gender-based violence, have been used by every regime, first under the al-Bashir regime and the militant Islamists who enabled violations against the rights of women and girls in both urban and rural areas, but particularly in Darfur, where the al-Bashir regime established

Statement: Condemnation of Harassment and Intimidation of Women Peace Activists and the Rapidly Shrinking Civic Space in Sudan

In Sennar, on September 21st, Sudanese military intelligence staff suspended a public event organized by women peace activists. Three days later, the state’s security committee forcefully interrupted another peaceful public event in Kassala, Eastern Sudan. This committee is a branch of the Kassala state security apparatus, which includes members from the state police, military intelligence, and NISS

Statement by Ms. Hala Al Karib at the UN Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security

Today’s open debate on women, peace, and security (WPS) is an opportunity to reflect on the urgency of this agenda and why women’s rights must be central to addressing any conflict or crisis. Sadly, my country, Sudan, starkly illustrates the consequences of failing to do so.
The current conflict in Sudan is a result of decades of violence against civilians, violence that has impacted nearly every aspect of women’s lives. During this time, mass atrocities, including sexual violence, rape, and other forms of gender-based violence, have been used against my people

Silent Weapons-Loudest wounds

SILENT WEAPONS,LOUDEST WOUNDS: Addressing the Crisis of Sexual Violence in Sudan

Since the outbreak of war in Sudan on April 15, 2023, civilians in Sudan, particularly women and girls, have experienced mass suffering and violence due to the conflict and have faced a spectrum of violations of their rights. These violations are a direct product of the conduct of all parties to the conflict, particularly the two largest—the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), both representatives of the state, whose political break and assumption of hostilities drove the country into a civil war. The bulk of the combat is currently conducted in Khartoum and Darfur, with further fighting in Kordofan.

SIHA Statement to the 77th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (in English & French) – Read to the Commission on 22 October 2023

Honourable chairperson, honourable commissioners, excellencies, state delegates, distinguished representatives from human rights organizations, institutions, civil society, and all those concerned with the state of women’s rights in Africa, thank you for this opportunity to participate in this auspicious occasion by presenting the following statement.

Civil Society Advocacy Letter on Situation in Sudan to the Honourable Ministers of Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Malawi, & South Africa

SIHA Network applauds the Human Rights Council vote to pass the motion to establish a fact-finding mission on Sudan. This is an important step toward ensuring that perpetrators of human rights abuses and war crimes will be held accountable. We are grateful to the solidarity of African women across the continent who stood strongly by the women of Sudan…

Khartoum: Women are not collateral damage! Perpetrators must be held accountable for rampant sexual violence in Sudan’s capital

This past week, one emergency room received over 10 cases of sexual violence in a single day. Yet, many are too scared to report or too young to comprehend what has been done to them. Sexual assault by the armed militia has been ingrained into the fabric of their daily lives. “I am 4 months pregnant,” says a 21-year-old in Al Kalalakla, “I cannot even count how many times I have been raped…

Kidnapping and Slavery: The RSF is committing more dangerous rights violations in this malign war against civilians in Sudan

Last month, SIHA detected alarming information that members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been kidnapping female civilians and holding them hostage in Darfur to be ransomed back to their families or possibly be later sold in markets. An eyewitness in Al-Fashir, North Darfur, confirmed that three women and/or girls (who may be underaged; their ages were not identified) were brought by the RSF to the Dar Al Salam locality.