Two workshops for 60 women peacebuilders directly affected by the armed conflict focused on strengthening their capacity to increase the visibility of their peace work and to advocate for their inclusion in peace processes. The workshops, organised by Badya Centre for Integrated Development Services, took place in Dilling, South Kordofan State, in southern Sudan in February 2025. We supported these workshops with our Feminist Peace Initiatives.
How can we participate in decision-making when we are constantly running from one place to another searching for safety and life?
The participants – representatives of civil society organisations, young activists, journalists and researchers – analysed the challenges and opportunities for Sudanese women’s participation in peace processes and political decision-making and discussed their own peacebuilding roles. The workshops were also designed to strengthen the women’s negotiation, communication and advocacy skills. The participants came from Dilling and from camps for internally displaced persons in Dilling and South Kordofan state. The armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces erupted in 2023. It has led to the displacement of more than 12 million people, a severe hunger crisis and widespread sexualised violence against women.
Obstacles to women’s participation
The women listed several obstacles to their active participation in peacebuilding and decision-making processes, among them their displacement. As one participant said: "How can we participate in decision-making when we are constantly running from one place to another searching for safety and life?" The women also cited deep-rooted customs and social norms as hindrances both for women’s participation and the visibility of their activism and peace work. "When was the last time you saw a woman’s story on the news unless it was about her suffering?" another participant said.
Important knowledge was shared in presentations on Sudan’s National Action Plan on “Women, Peace and Security” and on the inclusion of women in regional and international peacebuilding initiatives. “Existing political systems are designed to exclude women, making it difficult for us to gain a foothold,” a participant said. An important aim of the workshop was to boost the women’s ability to gain this foothold in political decision-making.
Building knowledge and networks
The inputs were presented by women experts who were involved in talks in Geneva in 2024 and by women who are part of the Sudanese Women Coordination Mechanism, launched by a group of Sudanese women activists based in Kampala, Uganda.
The participants drafted a set of recommendations for the full inclusion of Sudanese women in peace processes. The recommendations range from ways to ensure the work of women peacebuilders receives greater visibility to targeting their international and national advocacy work to ensure their inclusion in decision-making processes.
Badya Centre was established in 2002 with a mission to foster peace, gender equality, development and humanitarian assistance at the national level and in five of Sudan’s 18 states.
Existing political systems are designed to exclude women.
Rabab Baldo is a prominent Sudanese peace activist. In annabelle magazine, she talks about the war and what women are doing to stop the bloodshed. But the space for women peace activists is becoming increasingly limited.
Article on swissinfo on the negotiations for a ceasefire in Sudan, with input from Rabab Baldo, a member of our network, and our director Deborah Schibler.
"We women are constantly trying to save our country, but we are never consulted and Sudan is paying a high price for this." In this interview, peace activist Rabab Baldo talks about the brutal conflict, the role of women in peacebuilding and her expectations for the negotiations in Switzerland on 14 August.
