Background In 2019, the democratic revolution in Sudan put an end to the ruling military dictatorship. But the transition to a democratic future remained a rocky road. Since Sudan's independence in 1956, the country has experienced only a few years of democracy and only a few years without civil war. Women and minorities in particular were and still are affected by discrimination and exclusion, even under the current transitional government. With the revolution, however, the scope for civil society has grown. Our partner organisation, the Bana Group for Peace and Development, is trying to use and expand this scope. It is committed to ensuring that women have their say and are involved in decision-making processes during this transition phase. The Bana Group's study "Voices of the Margins - Realising Freedom-Peace-Justice", which has now been published, contributes to this. The study was presented at a two-day conference in Berlin in December 2022. In cooperation with the umbrella organisation of migrant women's organisations (DaMigra) and the counselling organisation "Mein Körper gehört mir e.V." (My Body Belongs to Me), we invited participants. Women from different parts of Sudan who had participated in the study were connected via video. Better living conditions for all Women from the Bana Group had conducted the study in self-organised fieldwork with the support of the Civil Peace Service. The participants emphasised the importance of profound changes in Sudan in order to achieve better living conditions and "freedom - justice - peace", the core demands of the Sudanese revolution, for all. Among other things, the women call for the inclusion of all people in the country on the basis of a participatory constitutional process. Violence and discrimination against women or on the basis of ethnicity should be expressly prohibited by law and international agreements on women's rights ratified. Women should be given better opportunities for education, training and work. Furthermore, the women strongly recommend empowering women in local bodies and decision-making levels. Breaking down North-South hierarchies With Sudanese music and food, the approximately 30 participants were able to exchange ideas in Berlin before a panel discussion with representatives of the participating organisations took place later in the afternoon. They discussed how to deal with the results of the study in Germany and what possibilities there are to influence politics. Furthermore, it was discussed how North-South hierarchies can also be adequately reflected and broken up in peace work and how support possibilities for women in Sudan can look like. It was especially nice that the women who had participated in the study were able to join us via video from different parts of Sudan. We heard about their experiences and their expressions of gratitude. It was not self-evident that the internet and the power supply were stable enough on that day. The study can be found in our media library. The short version and the demands can be read in the Policy Brief. PreviousNext