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79th ORDINARY SESSION OF THE AFRICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES’ RIGHTS BANJUL, THE GAMBIA 14 May–3June 2024
Honourable chairperson, honourable commissioners, excellencies, state delegates, distinguished representatives from human rights organizations, institutions and 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.
Galmudug State of Somalia Outlaws Female Genital Mutilation, Marking a Historic Milestone
We, the undersigned Women’s Rights Organizations, and Women Human Rights Defenders are proud to celebrate and commend the Galmudug State of Somalia for its groundbreaking achievement of becoming the first Federal Member State in Somalia to pass legislation outlawing all forms of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
The Aftermath of Rape: Unwanted Pregnancies and Abandoned Children
Since the outbreak of war on April 15, 2023, Sudanese women and girls have endured continuous and systematic acts of sexual violence.
Crimes including murder, rape, torture, enforced disappearance, abduction, forced confinement, sexual slavery, forced marriage, and enslavement have been weaponized in the conflict and used as tools for recruitment.
SUDAN – A YEAR OF WAR
On the morning of April 15th, we found ourselves unexpectedly confronted with a situation for which we were not prepared – the outbreak of war. We had to swiftly restructure and adapt. At the onset of the war, 35 SIHA Staff were based in Sudan, with our largest office located in Khartoum, and other staff located across the country in…
RSF Atrocities Persist Unabated in South Kordofan and Nuba Mountains
Since the outbreak of war on April 15, 2023, Sudanese women and girls have endured continuous and systematic acts of sexual violence.
Crimes including murder, rape, torture, enforced disappearance, abduction, forced confinement, sexual slavery, forced marriage, and enslavement have been weaponized in the conflict and used as tools for recruitment.
Access to telecommunication services is a basic human right and should not be weaponized in Sudan’s conflict
Following ten (10) months of horrific fighting in Sudan that have claimed thousands of lives, and led to enforced disappearances, forced evictions, and mass displacement; the people of Sudan are cut off from the outside world because of telecommunication outages, including disruptions to internet, calls, and data services.
Report: Gezira under RSF Control – Overall Situation
On December 18th, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) invaded Gezira State and initiated a new phase of the ongoing conflict. Unlike in Khartoum, where upon outbreak of the war, active combat was initiated between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) within residential neighbourhoods, in Gezira the RSF entered the state swiftly and without much resistance or combat with the SAF, whose forces had quickly withdrawn from the region. While active combat was minimal in the state
Gender Alert: Women’s Rights Organizations Condemn Escalating Femicides in Somalia and Somaliland
We, the undersigned coalition of women’s rights organizations, women’s rights activists, and women human rights defenders in the Somali region, express our deep sadness and grave concern over the alarming increase of femicides across the Somali territories. The recent incidents in Hargeisa and Mogadishu, where three men brutally murdered their wives, with two of them killed by knives and one burned alive, shocked our collective conscience.
