Interviews made during the sessions discussed further the state of affairs of the country, a year after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the Government of Sudan and the SPLM. This report summarizes major points relayed by the interviewed women activists on the issues in question.

Wafa ’Abd al-Rahman: I think the CPA is largely ambiguous. Many provisions are unclear. The Sudanese public is frustrated. People feel their hopes in security, stability, and freedoms have not been accomplished. In addition, the people suffer from deterioration of the basic services that should be normally provided by the State to the populace.

When we talk about education, we find that the once (government’s) free education has virtually passed away. As a result, education is now made available only to the owners of capital, namely the state-managers and the evolving opportunists around them. A student and her/his family live in a shape of fear for if they default in paying the school fees, the student will be subsequently suspended from school.

The ill-planned educational policies of the State led to an emergence of many incomplete colleges or unprepared universities whose major concern is to increase financial income rather than scientific learning.

In the economic side, the Sudanese homestead is not dependent on the house bread winner, any more. Every family member must now find an income to sustain the family as a whole. Although the oil is produced [in a national level], it never reflected in improvements in the living standards of people who are severely hit by high inflation, as well as increasing poverty in their daily life.

This situation produced very serious patterns of immoral behavior that never characterized the persona of Sudanese people in the past. Such pathological phenomena are now evidently exercised in the Capital, let alone the regions or the localities. There is paralysis of the social activities. The downturn of agricultural seasons forced the rural populations to drift into the Capital in pursuit of a better life that is, nonetheless, never made available.

If we view the health side, we will find that the free services of medication are non-existent. The public suffers a great deal to ensure a decent health service although it is originally a basic right granted by State laws. The negativity of the health administrations is also felt because they failed to activate the health services or to promote them to eradicate the prevailing epidemics. The administrations also failed to detect the health hazards (as occurred with respect to the current meningitis and the yellow fever).

In the security side, I cannot find words to depict the level of violations committed against human rights by the security department or its forces. Tortures are endlessly exercised; and the police force terrorizes people, especially the poor ones such as small businesses, by the so-called laws of public order and social tranquility

This is just a little bit of the real picture. We need a greater awareness campaign to awake the citizen that is entirely absorbed in the struggle for living. Still, the day will certainly come when all citizens will become vigilant in a real struggle for the assurance of freedom, tranquility, and stability.

Nuha Osman: We have expected many radical changes after the CPA signing in some areas, for example, the economic, social, and health sectors in correspondence with the political situation and its impact on the public life.

Concerning the economic conditions, the Sudanese citizen still is suffering from the difficulties of providing the basic needs of the social life. This default surfaced in the form of many unacceptable attitudes in our society such as the adoption of unemployment, theft, and prostitution.

The state services with respect to health and education have effectively diminished. In health, there is a steep deterioration in the medicinal services and hospitals, which resulted in the spread of disease, for example, hepatitis, meningitis, and the other undetectable illnesses.

In education, there is so much disorder and a downfall of all educational aspects. This led to the abandonment of school lessons by many students. Education became a commercial process, as we see it in an increasing number of private schools. As a consequence of this, the quality of education has been greatly decreased and is, therefore, unprepared to create the good citizen.

I believe the only hope to make a positive change is when a real democratic shift would be ensured to guarantee the freedom of expression, transparency, and accountability. That is when the law and order will prevail, and the citizens will enjoy the good life.

Ilham Mansour: The general conditions in Sudan are ambiguous. The vision is unclear in different aspects of life. After the CPA, war was ended in the South. A transitional period started up. A new constitution was established. There are provisions of the CPA, however, that have not yet been implemented.

There are real difficulties that hinder the execution such as the non-abrogation of the laws restricting public freedoms and the law of public order. These laws are enforceable up to this day. The issue of the People’s Defense Forces has not been decided upon. The government interacts only with selected parties, whether supporting or opposing it; but the government ignores the major parties like the Umma.

The law of the press and publications is an obstacle. There is not yet any full freedom of expression. Censor is imposed on the press by the National Council of the Press and Publications. The existence of this council in itself is a handicap of freedoms. If you want to issue a newspaper, you must set-up a company for that purpose from the beginning. There are conditions, which I think are put to default the applicant, such as depositing Sudanese Dinars in the amount of 150 millions for the paper, in addition to equipping the paper with all necessary instruments in advance.

Journalists are subjected to a dual trial: one before the Press Council and another before the Judiciary. The complainant might appeal to the Council first, and then invoke the same case before a judge if the journalist is condemned by the Press Council. This exemplified by the case of journalist Mohamed Taha Mohamed Ahmed. The freedom of expression is restricted in the Sudan although it is one of the most important freedoms. Most of the media centers are monopolized by the State, which doesn’t allow fair opportunities to the other viewpoint.