Shifting Terrains of Political Participation in Sudan
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Shifting Terrains of Political Participation in Sudan Elements dating from the second colonial (1898–1956) period to the contemporary era Shifting Terrains of Political Participation in Sudan Elements dating from the second colonial (1898–1956) period to the contemporary era Azza Ahmed Abdel Aziz and Aroob Alfaki In collaboration with: © 2021 International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance International IDEA publications are independent of specific national or political interests. Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of International IDEA, its Board or its Council members. References to the names of countries and regions in this publication do not represent the official position of International IDEA with regard to the legal status or policy of the entities mentioned. [CCL image] The electronic version of this publication is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) licence. You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the publication as well as to remix and adapt it, provided it is only for non-commercial purposes, that you appropriately attribute the publication, and that you distribute it under an identical licence. For more information visit the Creative Commons website: <http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/> International IDEA Strömsborg SE–103 34 Stockholm Sweden Tel: +46 8 698 37 00 Email: [email protected] Website: <http://www.idea.int> This report was prepared in the context of a programme entitled “Supporting Sudan’s Democratic Transition’. The programme includes a series of components all of which aim to support Sudan’s transition to a democratic system of government, and to contribute to SDG 16 to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. The programme is supported by a fund from the European Union and the Embassy of Sweden in Khartoum. This report was prepared by International IDEA as part of the Gender Equality and Women’s Political Empowerment component funded by the Embassy of Sweden. Design and layout: Dalia Elazab Cover photo by: World Bank Photo Collection ISBN (print): 978-91-7671-448-5 ISBN (PDF): 978-91-7671-449-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31752/idea.2021.70 Contents Abbreviations ................................................................................................... 6 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................... 7 Executive summary .......................................................................................... 10 Methodology .................................................................................................... 13 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 18 1. Overview of Sudanese women’s avenues for political participation ................ 20 1.1. Women’s political bodies as early forms of political organization ........................21 1.2. Inclusion and the politics of representation within the women’s movement ......22 1.3. Women’s participation under authoritarian regimes ..........................................25 1.4. Legislative frameworks and policies ..................................................................27 1.5. Constitutional and legislative frameworks governing women’s political participation during the transitional period ..........................................................................30 1.6. Methodology ....................................................................................................33 1.6.1. Scope of the research................................................................................33 1.6.2. Sampling..................................................................................................34 1.6.3. Research limitations and mitigating actions..............................................35 1.6.4. Gendered positions...................................................................................35 2. Shifting terrains of political participation in Sudan ....................................... 36 2.1. Introduction ......................................................................................................37 2.2. Context and initial observations ........................................................................40 2.2.1. River Nile.................................................................................................40 2.2.2. Blue Nile..................................................................................................41 2.2.3. Kassala......................................................................................................42 2.2.4. Central Darfur..........................................................................................43 2.3. Elements guiding women’s political participation .............................................43 2.3.1. The meanings of political participation.....................................................43 2.4. Questioning women’s leadership .......................................................................49 2.5. Structural limitations on political participation .................................................52 2.6. Avenues for women’s political participation .......................................................54 2.7. The presence of women in politics ....................................................................57 2.7.1. Beyond quotas..........................................................................................61 2.8. Variations in religious interpretations and their impact on political participation ....63 2.9. The constitution and the elections .....................................................................66 2.9.1. Political parties.........................................................................................67 2.10. The aftermath of the December 2018 revolution ............................................68 2.10.1. War, peace and healing...........................................................................72 Conclusions ..................................................................................................... 75 About the authors ............................................................................................ 80 Annexes ........................................................................................................... 82 Annex 1 Guide to focus group discussions ................................................................83 Annex 2 Guide to conducting in-depth interviews and focus group discussions .......86 References ....................................................................................................... 95 About International IDEA ..................................................................................101 Abbreviations AFC....................................................................................Alliance for Freedom and Change CEDAW.........Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women DDR.............................................................disarmament, demobilization and reintegration DFC...............................................................................Declaration of Freedom and Change FFC........................................................................................Forces of Freedom and Change FGD..................................................................................................focus group discussion FGM..............................................................................................female genital mutilation GUSW......................................................................the Sudanese Women’s General Union ICC............................................................................................International Criminal Court NGO.....................................................................................non-governmental organization JEM......................................................................................Justice and Equality Movement KII....................................................................................................key informant interview MANSAM.....................“Al-Mgmoa’at Al-Niswiya Al-Syasyia w Al-Madnia” Civil and political Sudanese Feminist Coalition NCP.................................................................................................National Congress Party NIF.....................................................................................................National Islamic Front NGOs............................................................................New Sudanese Indigenous Network RSF.....................................................................................................Rapid Support Forces SCP............................................................................................Sudanese Communist Party SPA..............................................................................Sudanese Professionals Association SPLM/A ..........................................................Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army SPLM/N..........................................Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Northern faction SWU............................................................................................Sudanese