Sudan

Final Evaluation – Strengthening Women and Youth-led Approaches to Reconciliation and Conflict Prevention in South Kordofan and Blue Nile – August 2022

Search for Common Ground (Search) in Sudan has implemented the three year Maa Baaad Namo project (2018-2021) in collaboration with its local partners: the Badya Centre for Integrated Development Services (Badya), Um Serdiba Association for Development (Um Serdiba), Paralegal’s Association (PASS), the Human Security Initiative Organization (MAMAN), and ElSharq Centre for Culture (ECC). The overall goal of the project has been to increase the capacity, networks, and opportunities of Sudanese CSOs to improve vulnerable women and girls’ access to multi-sectoral development. The project activities covered five states in Sudan: West Kordofan, South Kordofan, Blue Nile, Gedaref, and Kassala.

Project activities had positive effects on the local community especially with regards to the strengthening of coordination between CSOs and government institutions. The most successful component of the project was the capacity building for CSOs, which included activities such as outreach, communication, and advocacy training; training of trainers (ToTs) on technical topics and CSO management training. The increase in capacities of local CSOs facilitated the establishment of multiple partnerships and networks between CSOs and government institutions both at the local and national levels, thus scaling the impact from grassroots to national level. Finally, the media programming had a positive impact on the level of awareness of women’s and girls’ rights within the communities. Community awareness of the importance of women’s active participation in the economic, political, and social aspects of life increased significantly to over 50 percent.

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Research Report – Envisioning a Path Forward – August 2022

This study was conducted by Search for Common Ground (Search) from September 2021 to May 2022 in partnership with the Sudanese National Commission for Counter Terrorism (SNCCT) and supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sudan. It follows previous Search-led research on violent extremism in Sudan which culminated in the report Among Friends and Family. It deepens the evidence on the drivers and root causes of violent extremism (VE) in Sudan to support the development of a comprehensive national strategy and action plan for preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) and resilience to radicalization programs for Sudanese prisons. The findings of this study are based on 115 interviews with diverse stakeholders from Gadarif, Jazeerah and Khartoum.

  • The Islamic State (IS/ISIS/ISIL) is the most prominent and active violent extremist organization recruiting from and operating in Sudan.
  • There are critical regional factors such as border security, proliferation of small arms and light weapons and a lack of regional cooperation that contribute to rising VE recruitment and activity within Sudan.
  • Narratives that Islam is threatened by foreign governments and ideologies or that it is broken and needs to be fixed are key to the recruitment of Sudanese into VEOs. These narratives are disseminated online and through sympathetic religious institutions and schools which are frequently funded by donors in the Gulf States.
  • There are critical regional factors such as border security, proliferation of small arms, crackdowns on VE groups in neighboring countries and a lack of regional cooperation that contribute to rising VE recruitment and activity within Sudan.
  • Female research participants who joined VEOs were recruited by similar technical means as their male counterparts. But they were also attracted by a sense of freedom they felt adherence to traditional gender roles may provide.
  • There are no apparent monetary incentives or motivations for Sudanese who have joined international VEOs. Most research participants came from families of relative wealth and privilege.
  • The transitional government is in a sensitive position that risks fueling VE-propaganda and recruitment as it seeks to implement otherwise popular reforms.
  • Sudanese prisons provide opportunities for VE recruiters. There are currently no programs in the prisons to specifically prevent the spread of VE ideologies. In some cases, imprisonment of VEO participants is believed to have led to more extreme VE ideation.
  • Religious leaders, government officials and civil society see a clear role for themselves and their respective institutions in a comprehensive plan to prevent violent extremism.

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Final Evaluation – Maa Baaad Nanmo We Grow Together: Supporting Sudanese CSOs to improve multi-sectoral development for vulnerable women and girls – September 2021

Search for Common Ground (Search) in Sudan has implemented the three year Maa Baaad Namo project (2018-2021) in collaboration with its local partners: the Badya Centre for Integrated Development Services (Badya), Um Serdiba Association for Development (Um Serdiba), Paralegal’s Association (PASS), the Human Security Initiative Organization (MAMAN), and ElSharq Centre for Culture (ECC). The overall goal of the project has been to increase the capacity, networks, and opportunities of Sudanese CSOs to improve vulnerable women and girls’ access to multi-sectoral development. The project activities covered five states in Sudan: West Kordofan, South Kordofan, Blue Nile, Gedaref, and Kassala.

Project activities had positive effects on the local community especially with regards to the strengthening of coordination between CSOs and government institutions. The most successful component of the project was the capacity building for CSOs, which included activities such as outreach, communication, and advocacy training; training of trainers (ToTs) on technical topics and CSO management training. The increase in capacities of local CSOs facilitated the establishment of multiple partnerships and networks between CSOs and government institutions both at the local and national levels, thus scaling the impact from grassroots to national level. Finally, the media programming had a positive impact on the level of awareness of women’s and girls’ rights within the communities. Community awareness of the importance of women’s active participation in the economic, political, and social aspects of life increased significantly to over 50 percent.

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Final Evaluation – Women, Rise Up! Empowering Sudanese Women in South Kordofan to Advance Women’s Rights – October 2020

This EU-funded project “Al-nisa’, artaqauu!– Women, Rise Up! Empowering Sudanese Women in South Kordofan to Advance Women’s Rights” was implemented in partnership with Badya Centre for Integrated Development (Badya) from January of 2018 to December 2019.

The women of Sudan remain one of the most marginalized groups in the country even though they make up half of the population and play vital roles in both the labour force and family sphere. The overall objective of the project was to empower diverse Sudanese women in IDP and host communities in South Kordofan to effectively advocate for gender equality and women’s rights.

The project’s activities included Women Leadership and Advocacy Training, Women Coffee Ceremonies, Gender Sensitivity Training for Local Authorities, Radio Programs and Women-led Livelihood Activities, among others. The final evaluation shows that as a result of the project, targeted women have increased confidence (82%) and opportunities (84%) to advocate for gender equality. Overall, 75% of women in target communities report having improved access to social, economic or political rights as a result of the project.

The key recommendations of this final evaluation are to further raise awareness on women’s rights, support financial empowerment activities, increase capacity-building efforts and training to provide women with long-term skills, and to establish legal enforcement and monitoring mechanisms for the protection of women’s rights.

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Women, Rise Up!

In Sudan, millions of women face economic and political exclusion, with women refugees facing extra challenges. After our work in South Kordofan to support women’s rights, especially for displaced people, 95 percent of respondents say that they will publicly support equal rights and opportunities.

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Report – SFCG Among Family and Friends – August2020

The research team in consultation with Search for Common Ground (Search), the Sudanese National Commission on Counter-terroism (SNCCT), and the US Embassy identified three target areas for this research: South Darfur, Kassala, and Khartoum. These locations were selected based on the diversity of risk factors they represent, as outlined below, and the assumption that their varying contexts would provide unique insights into the different factors that influence recruitment in Sudan.

Connecting the Horn of Africa to North Africa and the Middle East, Sudan is a converging ground for a variety of extremist groups and an at-risk country for violent extremism (VE). Under President Omar al-Bashir, Sudan was known for providing a safe haven to groups promoting extremist and violent ideology, including Al Qaeda, the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Al Shabaab, and Boko Haram. Long-standing violent conflict, displacement, human rights abuses, and a worsening economy act as risk factors for VE in the country, but were also the driving force behind the peaceful revolution that removed Bashir from power in April 2019. This revolution has resulted in a 39-month transitional period that may usher in a new future of civilian rule. While this is an unprecedented time in Sudan with significant opportunities for hope and change, it is also a time of immense uncertainty as the Transitional Government grapples with a myriad of challenges including a spiraling economy, spoilers within and outside the government, and violent conflict in Sudan’s peripheral states.

While terrorism and VE have been consistent concerns in Sudan since the late 1990s, there has yet to be an in-depth evidence base on the topic to inform programmatic responses. The sensitivity of discussing VE in Sudan as well as the extremely restrictive operating environment have limited opportunities for research and locally-led response. Recently, Sudan has eased restrictions to allow such research,6 and the transition provides another window of opportunity to continue to build understanding of VE in the country. The research and data collection which informs this report faced a myriad of challenges due to the shifting security situation during the 2019 revolution. The insecurity and changing context delayed the research and required the research team to frequently adapt their plans. However, this transition has also highlighted possible entry points that can inform civil society efforts to transform VE in Sudan as the country moves forward.

Among Family and Friends: Executive Summary (AR)
Among Family and Friends: Executive Summary (ENG)
Among Family and Friends: Full Report
Among Family and Friends: Infographic

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Report – Sowing Seeds of Peace in Sudan – August 2020

Since July 2020, the French Embassy-funded program, “Empowering Women and Youth in South Kordofan”, and the EU-funded project, “Strengthening Women and Youth-led Approaches to Reconciliation and Conflict Prevention”, co-supported the distribution of seeds in different locations throughout South Kordofan.

Search staff and local representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture organized the distribution of seeds among the four villages of Sir Alamin, Um Alwan, Alfarshaya, and Alshuroug. In each of the four locations, the livelihood activity began with the agro-technician of the Ministry of Agriculture providing helpful information on how farmers can best prepare their lands and harvest the seeds that were distributed. The same approach occurred in Kadugli, with Search partnering with Badya Centre for Integrated Development.

In total, 139 residents (67 men and 72 women) from the Diling area received seeds. Meanwhile, in Kadugli, 811 people (389 men and 422 women) received parcels of seeds, representing internally displaced people, returnees, and local residents.

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