SUDANESE women have a history of political activism that goes back to the pre-independence era. After independence, Sudanese women were fighting to address post-independence challenges, including underdevelopment, lack of democracy, marginalisation, poverty and inequality. 

Their public presence as protesters in the Sudanese political landscape varies but continues to rise, notably during Omar al-Bashir dictatorship and current regime.

Women activists across all ages in Sudan have been active actors in the toppling of the Bashir regime, a regime that lasted for 30 years, to be followed by a transitional period where a hybrid government (civilian, militia and military) was formed to rule the country. 

On October 25 2021 the military seized power through a coup and the political landscape in Sudan has changed to a dictatorship regime — a clear departure from the December revolution and its slogan: freedom, peace and justice. 

Despite this, women have continued to show bravery and courage since the start of the revolution. 

Their revolutionary actions include leading street protests, the blocking of roads and building of barricades, leading chants against racism and for a peaceful and democratic Sudan. 

They also actively participated in the sit-in at different sites, including at the military headquarters where a massacre was committed by the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on June 3 2019.

The security services, RSF, police and the army have responded brutally to this rising women’s activism by firing live ammunitions and tear gas, including unknown and expired tear gas, as well as arresting, kidnapping and sexually assaulting women protesters, including raping protesters during the sit-in at the military headquarters and other cites as well as in front of the presidential palace. 

Many female detainees were badly treated and some experienced sexual assault while in detention. A few pregnant women had miscarriages while in detention and no medial assistance was provided for them. 

Others were murdered during peaceful street protests. An example is Sit Alnefor, a female nurse in her twenties who was targeted and shot during a street protest. 

The number of male and female martyrs since the October 2021 coup stands at more than 90 and some of injured are currently in critical condition, while unknown numbers of protesters have been kidnapped. 

In remote areas, particularly Darfur region, female activists have been subject to continuous attacks and abuse by the military and militia. 

Women have also resisted the military regime using innovative means including arts, songs and poetry. Young female activists have used social media including Facebook and Twitter to publicise their revolutionary actions and to recruit more activists. 

They have challenged negative perceptions about them and continued to prove their activism and bravery for a democratic change. 

Women are actively participating in the resistance committees (legan almogawama) in their neighbourhoods, where local plans on street protests and logistics are negotiated and distributed to other activists. 

They are also organising lobbying and networking events with different civil society groups and political figures. 

Female activists have been active in restoring trade unions, which were paralysed by the former regime. They have also taken a leading role in campaigns to establish democratic trade unions based on democratic trade union laws, instead of the undemocratic laws developed by the Bashir regime and adopted by the current coup advocates.

The unprecedented role of women in the December revolution has prompted some revolutionaries, activists and human rights defenders to call it a “women’s revolution,” because it is a revolution for women’s emancipation, freedom, equality, equity and peace. 

It is a revolution for a civilian and democratic regime where women have made tremendous sacrifices. 

The revolution has its own female icons, including Alaa Salah, whose image was taken while she was addressing a massive protest on April 2019, a few days before Bashir was overthrown. 

The bravery of Sudanese women and their innovative means of activism tend to be ignored by the conventional media, which rely on the so-called strategic experts who tend to give fabricated analysis that deliberately ignores the bravery of the Sudanese women and their peaceful revolutionary actions. 

In this respect social media served as a useful alternative that women (as well as youth activists) have been relying on to let the world know about their revolution and their struggle for freedom, peace and justice. 

The road to freedom, peace and justice is long and thorny but Sudanese women are determined to continue making history, and to once again toppling the current dictatorial regime and replacing it with a civilian and democratic regime.

Amira Osman is a British-based Sudanese women’s rights activist.