Child Bride's Nightmare Part 1

"Yemen is full of child brides. Roughly half of Yemeni girls are married before 18, some as young as eight." Until recently, Yemeni law set the minimum age for marriage at 15. But tribal customs and interpretations of Islam often trump the law. In practice, "Yemeni law allows girls of any age to wed, but it forbids sex with them until the indefinite time they’re 'suitable for sexual intercourse.'" In 1999, the minimum marriage age of fifteen for women was abolished; the onset of puberty, interpreted by conservatives to be at the age of nine, was set as a requirement for consummation of marriage.

First Woman in Egyptian History to run for President

Buthayna Kamel

On International Women's Day in March this year, Egyptian women took to the street to demonstrate what was clearly a shameless stride by the transitional government to continue excluding women from political participation in this new democracy. The women staged a "Million Woman March" on Tahrir Square. The same Square where they had faced tear gas, sexual assaults and harassment when demonstrating against Mubarak and his regime.  Women joined the men in one voice demanding Mubarak to step down and calling for a true and fair democracy only to turn around and find that they are now being sidelined in the new political process and were attacked by men because of raising their voices seeking to be heard.

Buthayna Kamel, a former talk-show host, has stepped out as a presidential candidate making her the first woman in Egyptian history to run for the highest office in the country. This is a brave leap of faith for Ms. Kamel considering the gender discrimination in the current Egyptian constitution. Gender rights activists in Egypt say it is important that women have a role and a voice in the new parliament and want to see women represented in the council elected by the new parliament to write a new constitution later this year. The fight for women's rights over the past decade has seen laws allowing women to divorce their husbands, pass their nationality to their children and be treated equally under tax law. However, women are still treated as second-class citizens particularly under the family law status.

The truncated timeline for holding the new elections will benefit existing organized political groups that are male-driven leaving women without a strong voice to influence a new constitution and legislation. Ms. Kamel has express her concern that she along with other women will be forced off the race because "women are supposed to stay at home". 

But the women will press on. If it means more marches then so be it. Women have to stand in solidarity. I believe that the strong women of Africa should stand alongside the women of Egypt. Most constitutions in Africa treat women as second-class citizens. This is the 21st century - let's move with the times and not be stuck in the past. Women are the back-bones of these economies. They are the mothers, daughters, sisters and wives of these men. They are now DEMANDING respect and they will be heard. They will raise their voices from the highest hills, they will not be drowned... not this time. 

Africa women UNITE!!

Sources:
NPR
The Christian Science Monitor

Neo-Arabism spreading to the Sudan

Women in the Sudan protesting

Bashir's government is taking strides to "crush" any uprising instigated through social networks against the government.  The government has reacted violently to street protests organized by the youth and detained many activits.

Unlike Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, Sudan has not attracted any international attention. Many are waiting for the formal cessation of the oil-rich Southern Sudan from the Arab North in the summer.

Bashir is not a happy camper at the moment. He is about to lose a valuable national commodity - oil reserves - in the south. He was recently accused by the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) of plotting to overthrow the southern government.

Will Bashir be relevant after the cessation?  The wind of change blowing across the Middle East could pass by northern Sudan leaving significant government changes.  But like in all these countries where people want government change, there is no identified successor.

Wikileaks - Sally Kosgei vs Kenyan Leadership

Dr. Sally Kosgei

Sally Kosgei, Kenya's former High Commissioner to London and retired President Moi's last Head of Civil Service certainly did not anticipate that her conversations in 2009 with US Ambassador to Kenya, Michael Ranneberger and Asst. Secretary of State Johnnie Carson would find their way in the leakages of US diplomatic secret cables.

Dr. Kosgey, who at the given time was Minister of Higher Education, condescendingly described President Kibaki as leader who did not read intelligent briefs and having no back-bone to carry out agreed reforms. She continued to dress down her cabinet colleagues including the Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, stating he has "no office structure, no discipline in his life or schedule".

Johnnie Carson, a former US envoy to Kenya under President Moi, called Kibaki and Raila to apologise over the insipid reports, as soon as the Wikileaks saga broke. An embarrassing moment for Mr. Carson.

For Dr. Kosgey, tomorrow will be a difficult day as she is currently in New York with her Vice-President, whom she described as "a diminishing asset". They are in New York lobbying the UN to defer Kenya's cases at The Hague.

Clearly Kenya continues to have a fractured cabinet supporting poor and unstable leadership. This has stagnating effects on a potential emerging economy. Egypt is Kenya's neighbor to the north and the Kenyans are fed up.

Will the wind of change in the Sahel blow down south?

Other sources:

The Standard

Egypt finally rests tonight

Last night Mr. Mubarak announced that he would not step down and would never leave Egypt. His plan was to follow the constitution (which would be a first) and relinquish power in September 2011 at the next elections. But the people and some in the military were not buying into this plan and they made it clear when they marched to the Palace and made their voices heard. Hosni Mubarak left Egypt early this morning handing over power to the military.

The protests were all over Egypt - not just in Cairo - and by yesterday it seemed all peoples were on the streets. The doctors came out in their white coats, the trade unions had their workers join in and even the military stood with the people.  There was no way Mr. Mubarak could win this battle - even the Western powers  could not in good faith side with him - it would have been too embarrassing to show overt support of their autocrat friend and ally.

Mr. Omar Suleiman missed an opportunity to be a hero and lead the nation by standing with the people and persuading his buddy to step down. Instead he shows to dance to Mr. Mubarak's tune forgetting that power lies with the masses and not a single man.

Unlike in Ivory Coast where the military is still loyal and serving the recently defeated Laurent Gbago, Egypt's military understood and sympathized with the people. They now hold the reigns of power until the democratic elections take place later this year.

Mr. Mubarak was among the last few remaining dictators in Africa. Who is next? Bashir of Sudan?

Related links:
BBC
Al Jazeera English
The Huffington Post
Global Post

Egyptians are fed up...

Enough is Enough!

Hosni Mubarak is determined to remain in office.  Egyptians are furious - will they be silenced once again and accept the transfer of power in September and not today?

Omar Suleiman, the Vice President, seems to have accepted the demands of Mubarak and not of the people. His call for people to go back home, go back to work, and not listen to foreign media and continue living life back to "normal". This call sounds so familiar - similar calls were made by another autocrat - one who oppressively ruled Kenya (neighbor to the south of Egypt) for 24 years and had refused to leave in the hope of passing an amendment to make him life President.

The Egyptians have rejected Suleimans call!!!! The crowds want one thing only - Mubarak to step down.  Anger is clearly visible. This is just the beginning of the end... like in Tunisia.

What???? Hosni Mubarak is not stepping down???

I am here to stay

Mubarak is still in Cairo and will address the nation from from his palace in Cairo reports Al Arabiya - the national TV station. However, there are rumors that he is now in UAE and that the Minister of State is in currently in control. 


The Muslim Brotherhood is claiming that this is a coup d'etat by the army but the people on the ground are denying this claim. The army and the people are in unity - they say.


The other new information coming out is that Hosni Mubarak is being asked to "step aside" not "step down". So he will transfer some of the powers to the Vice President, Omar Suleiman.


Are we seeing the birth of a new Republic????

Wind of change in Egypt - People Power!!!

It has been seventeen days of persistant protests and today we are seeing history in the making in Egypt. President Mubarak's future is being discussed behind closed doors and he will be making an announcement in a few hours.


This is being called the "winter revolution".  Euphoria is high!!  It seems that the Vice President Omar Suleiman will take over at least until a date is set for a democratic election.  


This is good news to Israel who have been watching the events unfold in silence but with great concern because the largest political opposition group in Egypt is the Muslim Brotherhood. This is the world's most influential Islamist movement and is not friendly towards Israel.


Israel prefers to have Suleiman replace Mubarak because he is friendly towards Israel and so will keep the peace treaty between the two countries active, The peace treaty was signed in 1979.


However, today it is about Egypt and its people. Will Mubarak step down????? No one knows... it is an uncertain time but we are watching a defining moment in history.