For Sudan Women, Protests Are A Fight For Their Rights

Sudanese protester Aseel Abdo said she had to leave her family home after being threatened with arrest for joining demonstrations against President Omar al-Bashir that have rocked the country

Paris, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jan, 2019 ) :Sudanese protester Aseel Abdo said she had to leave her family home after being threatened with arrest for joining demonstrations against President Omar al-Bashir that have rocked the country.

"I will continue to protest, even if it takes years to bring down this regime," said the 26-year-old, who has marched along with hundreds of people in the anti-government demonstrations in Khartoum.

Deadly protests have rocked Sudan since December 19 when angry crowds first took to the streets after the government tripled the price of bread.

Women have joined in even as the protests turned against the government and escalated into bloody confrontations in which officials said at least 24 people have been killed.

Dressed in headscarves, they can be seen in nearly all of the footage of the protests shared on social media, which in turn has helped to convince even more women to take to the streets.

Clapping, ululating and whistling, women have been seen encouraging fellow demonstrators to press on with the rallies even when clashes have erupted between police and protesters.

Many who live in areas where the demonstrations are staged have been seen offering tea and juice to protesters as they pass by, witnesses said.

For Abdo, it was a strong desire to fight for women's rights that made her want to take part in the demonstrations.

"This regime has some of the worst laws against women," Abdo told AFP, speaking over WhatsApp for safety reasons.

"You could be arrested for wearing trousers or if your scarf is not covering your hair properly."Abdo, who carries a first aid box to protests to help those who are injured, said she has been changing her residence every few days to avoid arrest.