South Sudan's First Female Pilot

From the Sudan Tribune:

She is shy and occasionally breaks down when asked to narrate her ordeal. And yet Aluel James Bol has just become the first female pilot in the history of the newly created Republic of South Sudan.

A US-trained pilot, Aleul, who previously worked with Ethiopia Airlines before taking up an advisory role within the ministry of transport and roads, lauded the South Sudan government for the financial support it provided for completion of her studies.

Speaking at a press conference convened in Juba, the South Sudan capital, Aluel specifically thanked the ministry of gender, social welfare and religious affairs for awarding a bursary, which enabled her complete studies.

Sudan: Women Voting In Numbers

From VOA News:

Despite extreme logistical and organizational challenges facing the Sudanese elections, the women of Sudan appear to be more determined to have their voices heard in these landmark elections.

It will take days to determine exact figures, but visits to Southern Sudan polling stations in the past three days have shown that women clearly outnumber men in voting queues. Reports from other parts of Sudan also indicate that more women have cast their votes, most of them for the first time in their lives.

Women have also proven to be more tolerant to the frustrating moments during the voting process, patiently waiting for their turn to vote. This reporter witnessed a number of men turning their back and leaving the polling stations with frustration, but many women stayed on to cast their votes.

Sudan: Luba Cannot Return

From Capital News:

The Sudanese journalist briefly jailed for wearing "indecent trousers" said Wednesday she might not return to her country but instead continue her campaign for women's rights from abroad.

Lubna Ahmed Hussein, who said she defied a travel ban and sneaked out of Sudan wearing a full Islamic veil to hide her identity, said however she was not planning to ask for asylum in Europe.

"I am waiting for the network of women in Sudan (campaigning for women's rights)... to decide whether it is better for me to continue the campaign at home or abroad," she told reporters in Paris.

"I will follow their decision," she said, speaking on the UN-sponsored International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

Hussein said Sudanese authorities had tried to stop her leaving the country but that she had contacts in Khartoum airport who helped her get past passport control and board an international flight.

Hussein was in France to promote her new book "40 coups de fouet pour un pantalon" (Forty Lashes for a Pair of Trousers), which is published in French and is set to be translated into English and other languages.

Sudan: Jonglei Women Defect

From Bor Globe Network:

Six months to national general elections in Sudan scheduled for February next year, five former female cadres in the National Congress Party, Jonglei state, have defected with their supporters from the National Congress Party to join the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement.

Among the incoming members included Dr. Monica Simon Ngong, Susan Akuach, Grace Aluong, Martha Akuol, Ayak Philip among others, who held various responsiblilities in the tune of National Congress Party. However, one of the six is from United Sudan African Party (USAP)..

The women cited lack of equality in the national congress, both in form of gender and race.

Activists Scuffle With Islamists

From the Independent:

Sudanese women's rights activists scuffled with Islamists and riot police today before a court session for Lubna Hussein, who faces 40 lashes for wearing trousers deemed indecent by the authorites.

Hussein's case is being seen as a test of Sudan's Islamic decency regulations, which many women activists say are vague and give individual police officers undue latitute to determine what is acceptable clothing.

The judge had adjourned Hussein's last court session to investigate whether she was immune from prosecution because she was working as a press officer for the United Nations at the time of her arrest.

Sudanese Women: Flogged - Part II

From Middle East Online:

A Sudanese journalist facing 40 lashes for wearing "indecent" trousers vowed on the eve of her judgment that she is ready to be whipped 40,000 times in her bid to change the country's harsh laws.

Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein, who works for the media department of the United Nations Mission in Sudan, is to be judged on Tuesday after waiving the immunity granted to UN workers.

She is to be judged under Article 152 of Sudanese law, which promises 40 lashes for anyone "who commits an indecent act which violates public morality or wears indecent clothing."

Police arrested Hussein and 12 other women wearing trousers at a Khartoum restaurant on July 3. Two days later 10 of the women accepted a punishment of 10 lashes, but Hussein is appealing in a bid to eliminate such rough justice.

Hordes of people, many of them female supporters and some also wearing trousers out of solidarity, crammed into the courthouse for the hearing.

Sudanese Women: Flogged

Article by Sarah el Deeb of Associated Press at Syracuse.com:

Sudanese police arrested 13 women in a raid on a cafe and flogged 10 of them in public for wearing trousers in violation of the country's strict Islamic law, one of those arrested said Monday.

The 13 women were at a cafe in the capital, Khartoum, when they were detained Friday by officers from the public order police, which enforces the implementation of Sharia law in public places.

The force, which is similar to the Saudi religious police, randomly enforces an alcohol ban and often scolds young men and women mingling in public.