Jalila Khamis Koko

Jalila Khamis Koko (also Jalila Khamis Kuku) is a Sudanese teacher and activist. In March 2012, she was detained by the Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) and accused of treason.[1] After a 10-month detainment, she was released in January 2013.[2] In December 2013, Khamis was awarded the Delegation of the European Union to Sudan's "Heroes for Human Rights Award 2013".[3]

Personal life

Jalila Khamis was born around 1968 in South Kordofan the Nuba Mountain region of Sudan and is of Nubian ethnicity.[4][5] Since the mid-1980s, except for a brief six-year period between 2005 and 2011, conflict has plagued the area of the Nuba Mountains.[6] Less well-known than Darfur, partly due to the remoteness of the region and difficulty in accessing it,[7] the conflict is Africa's longest running war.[8]

She resides with her husband and five children,[9] in Khartoum, where she has been a school teacher for many years. She is member of the outlawed opposition party, Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, and active in NGOs for women's rights in Sudan.[10]

Activism

When the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was drafted in 2005 to end the 25-year conflict in her homeland, Khamis returned to visit her native village,[4] Katcha, in the Buram locality.[10] Concerned because the local children had to travel long distances to school, she obtained the necessary documents for opening a village school. Khamis then organized donations for construction and supplies and was successful in recruiting teachers from Khartoum.[1]

In 2011, when fighting broke out again in the Nuba Mountains, women's groups and civilians became targets of the conflict. Tens of thousand of refugees fled the area for Khartoum and South Sudan.[11] Khamis turned her home in Khartoum into a temporary safe house for those fleeing the conflict[4] and called attention to the humanitarian crisis caused by what she called the 'premeditated military strategy to ethnically cleanse the Nuba people.'[11]

In a plea for peace and an end to fighting,[11] Khamis Koko's video criticizing the treatment of the Nuba people by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was posted on YouTube and led to her arrest.[4] She was accused of treason and denied access to her attorneys, but women's organizations rallied to reach the international media through a blog campaign, social media efforts, and a silent protest organized by GIRIFNA—Sudanese Non-Violent Resistance Movement. The GIRIFNA demand for justice was held at the Omdurman federal women’s prison, where Khamis was being held.[9] In January, 2013, she was released and the court acknowledged there was "no basis for the charges against her". Khamis was convicted of the sole charge of "spreading false news" and sentenced to time served.[2]

Legacy

Kahmis' story spawned reports in the region focusing on violence against women and the Egyptian media producer OnTV ran an entire segment on the Sudanese humanitarian crisis. Activists and youth movement leaders recognized the impact that a digital campaign could have, in spite of warnings from lawyers that media attention would damage the case.[9]

References
  1. Elsanosi, Maha (10 February 2013). "Jalila Khamis: a beacon of inspiration". openDemocracy. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  2. Al Noujomi, Maysoon (January 24, 2013). "A non-violent victory in Sudan". Foreign Policy New Magazine. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  3. "Human Rights Day: Ambassador Tomas says Europe will continue to protect human rights defenders worldwide". Khartoum, the Sudan: Delegation of the European Union to Sudan. 12 December 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  4. Hogan, Louise (November 12, 2012). "History repeats itself in Sudan". Women's Media Center Women Under Siege. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  5. Naway, Osman (8 November 2012). "Sudan: Race-based violence and torture". Pambazuka News. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  6. al-Nour, Al-Nour Ahmed (November 5, 2013). "Will Nuba Mountains region seek secession from Khartoum?". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  7. Dickie, John (27 January 2014). "Eyes of Nuba". Al Jazeera Media Network. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  8. Boswell, Alan (January 7, 2013). "Civil war still rages in Nuba Mountains, thwarting Sudan, South Sudan Peace". McClatchy Newspapers. Archived from the original on 8 May 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  9. Haj-Omar, Dalia (15 July 2014). "Lessons from the Digital Campaign for Nuba Mountains Detainee Jalila Khamis". Sawtna.net. Sawtna. Archived from the original on 14 November 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  10. "Sudan: Nuba Woman Activist Detained For 40 Days". Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID). 25 April 2012. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  11. Gorani, Amel (29 November 2012). "South Kordofan: activism, resilience and sacrifice". Open Democracy. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
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