Sudanese Women Demonstrate in Support of Civilian Rule

Women protest in Omdurman streets in support of civilian government on June 25, 2022

June 25, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – Hundreds of Sudanese women, dressed in white Toub, women’s national dress, Saturday took to the street in Omdurman city calling for an end to excessive violence against protesters and the restoration of a civil rule.

The women’s rally was organised by the pro-democracy Kandakat,(Nubian queens) group with the participation of over 20 women’s organizations including mothers of martyrs, gender groups, lawyers, doctors, as well as political parties.

The demonstrators chanted slogans hostile to the military coup such as “The Revolution is the revolution of the people, the authority is for the people, and the military have to go back to the barracks”.

Also, they chanted slogans reminding women’s role in the December revolution “O Girls, stay steady. The revolution is a girls’ revolution”.

Despite several cases of sexual assaults and rape by the security forces on detained female protesters, Sudanese women continue to participate in the anti-coup demonstrations organized by the neighbourhood committee in Khartoum state.

A member of the Lawyers Without Borders group, Iqbal Ahmed Ali, told the Sudan Tribune; that the White Toub demonstration was organized in order to stop the bloody violence against the anti-coup protesters, especially after the increasing use of the cartridge weapon.

“The demonstration is a message to the security forces and the police to stop killing of the Sudanese people, but also to advertise for the June 30 protest,” she further said.

Activists and political parties launched since a week a campaign calling to demonstrate on June 30 against the military coup of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Millions of Sudanese took to the street on June 30, 2019, to denounce the killing of peaceful sit-inners outside the army command in Khartoum.

The 2019 protest forced the Transitional Military Council to accept to hand over power to a civilian government and started negotiations with the Forces for Freedom and Change.

(ST)