Fatima Ahmed Ibrahim

A Sudanese feminist and politician who fought for women's rights and education, becoming a key figure in Sudan's independence movement.

Fatima Ahmed Ibrahim (1930–2018) was a Sudanese political leader and women’s rights activist whose work reshaped gender equality in Africa. Born in Khartoum, she became the first woman to graduate with a law degree from the University of Khartoum in 1952. Ibrahim’s career began as a teacher, but she soon shifted to activism, co-founding the Sudanese Women’s Union in 1952 to advocate for women’s suffrage and education access. During Sudan’s struggle for independence from British-Egyptian rule, she organized women to participate in protests, earning her the nickname “The Lioness of the South.” In 1965, she became the first woman elected to Sudan’s National Assembly, where she pushed for laws protecting women’s property rights and banning forced marriages. Her 1971 book Women’s Role in Sudanese Society and Development remains a foundational text in African feminist scholarship. Despite facing imprisonment under authoritarian regimes, Ibrahim continued her advocacy, establishing the Sudanese National Authority for Women in 1974. Her global influence extended to the UN, where she represented Sudan at the 1975 Mexico City World Conference on Women. Ibrahim’s legacy endures through organizations like the Fatima Ahmed Ibrahim Center for Women’s Studies, which she founded in 1989.