Rights NESI urges Sudan leaders to consider woman in Ambassadors appointment

1. His Excellency Field Marshal Omar Hassan al-Bashir
– President of the Republic of Sudan
– President’ s Palace
– Khartoum, Sudan

2. His Excellency Salva Kiir Mayardit
– First Vice-President of the Republic of Sudan
– And President of the Government of Southern Sudan
– People’s Palace
– Khartoum, Sudan

Dear Sirs,

As part of the implementation process of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), we acknowledge your republican decree on Saturday 27 May 2006 appointing, in different grades, 21 ambassadors from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and other Southern Sudan political groups as well as from National Congress Party (NCP).

Whereas we appreciate that the appointments accommodated different political groupings in Sudan, we take strong exception to the fact that, just like many other decrees that you have issued regarding appointments that are the prerogative of your office, women still continue to be grossly marginalized. Among the 21 appointees, not even one is a woman. Your Excellency, your appointments vis-à-vis the role women played in Sudan during the many years of conflict and the role they continue to play negates the spirit that guided the process that lead to the realization of the CPA. The CPA provided for a Sudan in which all its citizens regardless of creed, gender, political affiliation et cetera can be able to realize their ambitions based on transparent and equitable systems. We take note that your decree is thus in infringement on the spirit of the CPA We are more than certain that Sudan has many women who can be capable of fulfilling the role of an ambassador and should have therefore been considered for appointment.

We wish to emphasize the fact that sustenance of the CPA and development of
Sudan will need coalesced efforts of all the stakeholders of the Sudan
peace process. Among the major stakeholders in the process are women, who
should not be kept at the periphery during this very important era in the
history of Sudan. We therefore wish to demand that the appointments be
reconsidered and that women are made part of these and any other
appointments within your respective governments. We also take this
opportunity to ask women to demand for their rights to be included in key
organs of the current political system.

Signed by and on behalf of NESI Network.

Suzanne Jambo,
Coordinator
NESI Network

Nairobi-Kenya: June 14th, 2006

NESI Network

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