People of the embattled Nuba Mountains gathered last Friday to celebrate International Women’s Day. The celebration was held in the highlands at Kujur Shabiya of Heiban Locality owing to the continuing regular bombardment by the Sudanese Armed Forces. 

Hawa Mando, a former state MP who now coordinates women’s development in the rebel-held territory, said that activists organized the celebration jointly with SPLM-N authorities. She pointed out that the theme this year was ‘no to violence against women’ while the women of the region are suffering aerial bombardment, poverty, hunger and other forms of suffering.

She demanded that the United Nations protect communities in the Nuba Mountains and assist them instead of supporting the regime in Khartoum that is killing and displacing civilians.

The UN theme for International Women's Day 2013 is "A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women."

Photos of the event available here.