Safaa Elagib Adam

Reports of the conflict raging in Darfur continue to dominate the news, as images of camps for internally displaced persons and stories of violence have drawn the world’s attention to this humanitarian crisis. Since 2003 between two and four hundred thousand people have been killed by the armed militias known as the Janjaweed; as many as two and a half million people, 75 to 85 percent of them women and children, have been displaced. Women have sustained their communities in these extreme conditions; they offer a crucial perspective for creating a lasting peace in the region.

Safaa Elagib Adam is a bold voice for Darfurian women, working to ensure these vital stakeholders are involved in building peace. Though Darfurian women are at risk of being raped, beaten, abducted, or killed as they seek food and firewood, Safaa reminds us that women are more than victims of war: “We are also stakeholders—real stakeholders—in the negotiation and in the peace process.” 

As the secretary general and gender adviser of the Community Development Association (CDA) in Khartoum, which she co-founded in the 1990s, Safaa is a tireless advocate for women and children in Sudan. In addition to empowering women to participate more fully in peace building, she seeks to create primary education and job opportunities for those displaced by the conflict in Darfur.

Safaa’s frustration with the exclusive nature of the Darfur peace talks motivated her to press for a more inclusive process. She organized the Gender Expert Support Team (GEST), a diverse cross-section of Darfurian women representing non-governmental organizations, academia, the government, and rebel movements from across Darfur, and then successfully advocated for their participation in the 7th round of peace negotiations in Abuja, Nigeria. Although the members of the group had many different political views, they agreed on one important point: Darfurian women must be included in the peace talks. With the support of the United Nations Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the African Union, Safaa led the nonpartisan GEST to the peace negotiations.

Upon arrival in Abuja in December 2005, the GEST members were recognized as observers at the negotiations. But instead of remaining on the sidelines, the team took advantage of its neutral status, presenting a charter of women’s priorities for peace to all the negotiators and mediators. Unlike the other parties, the GEST’s vision was not colored by any one political priority. These representatives from across Darfur were interested in establishing security for all Darfurian women, empowering them economically, and educating their children. “We women,” said Safaa, “we are one tribe. We don’t have other tribes.”

At the negotiations, the Gender Expert Support Team advocated for property ownership, economic empowerment, and human rights—issues that the negotiating parties had previously neglected. The women set aside their differences and backgrounds in order to work toward a common goal: “We just forgot about who we are, except that we are neighbors, we are sisters, we are colleagues, we are teachers, we are together. We are all from Darfur.” This undercurrent of unity helped establish trust between the parties and ease some tension among the negotiators. The GEST’s work was praised by the African Union and the international community, and Safaa was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts.

Though they participated for just three short weeks, the women’s advocacy convinced negotiators to include numerous elements of the GEST charter in the Darfur Peace Agreement, making it one of the most gender sensitive peace agreements in the world. Unfortunately the negotiations were fraught with challenges; only one rebel group signed the agreement, and the people of Darfur largely rejected it because they had no stake in the process. Though violence persists in Darfur, Safaa’s work to bring women’s perspectives to the discussion was a significant step. If peace talks resume, she and GEST will ensure that women are included from the beginning.

According to Safaa, “women are not hopeless; they are not helpless.” Indeed, this activist continues to work for sustainable solutions to Sudan’s problems, namely advancing women’s rights and encouraging women to run for national office. As she works for peace in a war-torn region, Safaa emphasizes the importance of reconciliation: “We don’t want any sort of revenge. In the future, we need a just and peaceful Darfur.”

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