By Sofia Bosch
On Sept. 25th, United Nations Human Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet and Sudan’s new Minister of Foreign Affairs Asma Mohamed Abdalla signed a deal to open a Human Rights Office in the capital of Sudan, Khartoum, and field offices in Darfur, Blue Nile, Southern Kordofan and East Sudan.
These offices will be responsible for supporting efforts “combatting inequality and empowering women: legal and institutional reforms, to bring Sudan in line with international human rights obligations, justice to support accountability and reconciliation, with the meaningful participation of women and minorities; and strengthening the opening of democratic and civic space”.
In Sudan, the military council, opposition groups, and protest groups formed a power-sharing coalition in July and are hoping to eventually achieve a democratic government. UN Secretary-General António Guterres says the international community has a key role to play in supporting rule of law, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and Sudan as they “embark on the delicate period ahead”. Recent examples of this support include “removing Sudan’s designation by some nations as a sponsor of terrorism, lifting economic sanctions, and mobilizing massive financial support for development, to make the current political gains durable.”
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