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Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

Abstract

This paper will interrogate the intersection of gender, war, and political upheaval within Sudan while focusing on the role of women in both the 2019 resistance and the ongoing conflict and revolution. By the end of 2018, mass protests had called for the ousting of Omar al-Bashir, the long-standing Sudanese president. This event set off a chain reaction which led to events that fueled the long-standing rivalry between the two militant groups that were active in Sudan, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The tension caused by this rivalry created unforeseen circumstances for the local population, with the main impact and burden falling on women. Although there were previous civil rights and feminist groups within the state that fought for female representation on a larger scale, the 2023 conflict sidelined these priorities and exacerbated the vulnerability of women, especially in terms of displacement, sexual violence, and economic/physical exploitation. This paper examines the response of feminist groups, both locally and internationally, as they mobilized for women’s rights while addressing the challenges posed by a weakened civil society and limited resources. Drawing on feminist organizations’ reports and advocacy materials, United Nations documentation, and relevant scholarly literature, this paper disaggregates and analyzes the data by gender to reveal the persistence of patriarchal structures amid political chaos, emphasizing the need for a more protective framework.

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