Is peace not for everyone? : Narratives on a struggle for peace, equality and development in Sudan: Narratives on a struggle for peace, equality and development in Sudan

Once again, the award of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize focused our attention on the vital role women play in conflict resolution. However, what do we really know about their role in peace processes? Do women count, as declared by the Security Council in Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security? Moreover, does the small number of women participating in peace processes tell the whole story behind a peace process? This research ‘Is peace not for everyone?’ seeks to provide some answers to these questions in the context of building and making peace in Sudan; a country that suffered protracted war between the north and the south since 1955. The reader will note that Sudanese women emerge from this research as important actors in building and making peace. Following the signing of a peace agreement, they managed to benefit from their long struggle for peace, equality and development. Despite unimaginable losses, violence and disempowerment experienced by both men and women in the midst of war, positive change for women was and is possible. Central to this research is the study of a Dutch peacebuilding programme (1997 - 2007) that was created to support the participation of Sudanese women in the Sudan IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority for Development) Peace Process. IGAD mediation culminated in a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (2005) between Northern and Southern Sudan and led to the declaration of the independent state of South Sudan in 2011. Despite that, the Sudans still have a long way to go on peace. It also examines: 1) international support to efforts by Sudanese women to participate in peace processes; 2) social change and the empowerment of women in the midst and aftermath of war; 3) the role of policymakers and practitioners in turning declarations on women’s participation in peace processes into action; and 4) the interaction between diplomats and women interested in building and making peace. To inform, guide and structure this research, relevant theoretical perspectives emanating from the academic fields of studies of conflict, development and feminism are reviewed and discussed. Consequently, a qualitative research approach is taken based on life history research among Sudanese women and peace practice participants as well as structured interviews with concerned diplomats, policymakers and practitioners. Research objectives are met by narrative inquiry and detailed analyses and the comparison of research findings including triangulation. ‘Is peace not for everyone?’, provides unique insight into the participation of Sudanese women in an informal process of peacebuilding and makes the invisible, including women’s interaction with and participation in the Sudan IGAD peace process, visible. Life histories of Sudanese women presented speak loudest and demonstrate that peacebuilding is more critical than the signature of a peace agreement from the perspective of peace, equality and development. Whatever Sudanese women gained following the signing of a peace agreement emanated from a long struggle in the midst of war and their struggle is not over.