SUDAN: Sudan Referendum and the Future for Sudanese Women

Southern Sudanese are at the polls to decide whether they want to remain part of a united Sudan or to break away and become Africa's newest country. The referendum is taking place from 9 to 15 January, but official turnout figures are not expected until the beginning of February. The outcome, which is largely expected to result in an independent South, will have an enormous impact in both the South and the North. Sadly, though, the focus of international attention goes no farther than the implications for Sudan's oil resources and further conflict. Hardly anyone is concerned with what this moment will mean for Sudan's citizens -especially women, writes Wangari Maathai of Kenya is the 2004 Nobel Peace Laureate and founding board member of the Nobel Women's Initiative, created along with five other sister Nobel Peace Laureates.

In this article, Maathai writes that women have been largely excluded from post- referendum negotiation processes. The African Union has entrusted former South African President Thabo Mbeki to play a leading role in facilitating these processes, and while I have been supportive of President Mbeki and his Sudan initiative, his initiative has yet to seriously include women.

In a December 19 speech, Sudanese president Omar Bashir affirmed his intention to drive Sudan toward Islamic fundamentalism, should the South secede. Ignoring the diversity of Northern Sudan, including Darfur, Southern Kordofan, and other areas, Bashir made clear his intentions for a Sudan that is only Muslim, Arabic-speaking, and under a fundamentalist interpretation of Sharia law. These are fear-inspiring remarks for Sudan's women. Following the launch of the African Union Decade of Women in 2010, it is imperative that our leaders in the African Union demonstrate solidarity with Sudan's women. We look to Africa's leaders to ensure that Sudan's women can continue their quest for equality and justice.