Nemat Abdullah Khair

Nemat Abdullah Mohamed Khair (Arabic: نعمات عبدالله محمد خير‎; other transliterations: Neemat, Nimat, Abdallah; born 1957) is a Sudanese judge of the Sudanese Supreme Court who became Chief Justice of Sudan (head of the Sudanese judiciary) on 10 October 2019.[1] As such, under Article 29.(3) of the August 2019 Draft Constitutional Declaration, she is also the president of the Supreme Court of Sudan and is "responsible for administering the judicial authority before the Supreme Judicial Council."[4][5] Khair is the first woman Chief Justice of Sudan.[6]

Nemat Abdullah Mohamed Khair
نعمات عبدالله محمد خير
Chief Justice of Sudan[1]
Incumbent
Assumed office 10 October 2019[1]
Prime Minister	Abdalla Hamdok
Personal details
Born	1957 (age 63–64)[2] Al-Kamleen, Gezira, Sudan
Alma mater	Cairo University
Occupation	judge[3]
Known for	First female Chief Justice of Sudan

Childhood and education

Khair is from al-Kamleen in Gezira,[7] and obtained a BA in law from Cairo University.[8]

2018–2019 Sudanese protests

Khair participated in the 2018–2019 Sudanese protests, in a march by judges[7] and in the sit-in in front of the Khartoum army headquarters, which was broken up in the 3 June Khartoum massacre.[9] She had been perceived as an opponent of the al-Bashir government for several years prior to the protests.[7]

Judicial career

Khair became a member of the Sudanese judiciary in the early 1980s. She worked in the Court of Appeal, the Court of First Instance, and became a judge of the Supreme Court.[9] Khair founded the Sudanese Judges Club[9][3] as an organisation independent from government.[7]

Khair ruled against the al-Bashir government in 2016 in a case involving the Anglican church.[7]

Political neutrality

Khair is not affiliated to any political party.[9][3] According to Sudan Daily, she is "known for her competence, integrity and experience".[9] Muez Hadra of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) described Nemat as "honest and earnest" and completely independent of the former al-Bashir government.[7]

Head of Sudanese judiciary

On 10 October 2019, Khair was confirmed[1] as the head of the Sudanese judiciary after being selected by consensus between the Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the Forces of Freedom and Change alliance (FFC). Under Article 29.(3) of the August 2019 Draft Constitutional Declaration, she is also the president of the Supreme Court and is "responsible for administering the judicial authority before the Supreme Judicial Council."[4][5] Khair had earlier been expected to become Chief Justice on 20[3] or 21 August 2019,[9] according to Khartoum Star and Sudan Daily.

Khair is the first female Chief Justice of Sudan,[1][6] and one of only a small number of female Chief Justices in Africa[6] (following Kaïta Kayentao Diallo – Mali, 2006; Umu Hawa Tejan-Jalloh – Sierra Leone, 2008; Mathilda Twomey – Seychelles, 2011; Nthomeng Majara – Lesotho, 2014; Irene Mambilima – Zambia, 2015; Sophia Akuffo – Ghana, 2017; Meaza Ashenafi – Ethiopia, 2018).

On 12 September 2019, prior to Khair's 10 October confirmation, thousands of protestors in Khartoum and other Sudanese towns called for Abdelgadir Mohamed Ahmed to be appointed as Chief Justice and Mohamed el-Hafiz as Attorney General.[10][11] Another 10 October decree declared Tag el-Sir el-Hibir as Attorney-General.[1]

See also

• 2019 Sudanese transition to democracy
• Chief justice

References

1. "Sudan appoints its first woman Chief Justice". Radio Dabanga. 10 October 2019. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
2. حمد, يوسف. "تعرف إلى أول رئيسة قضاء في تاريخ السودان". Al Arabiya (in Arabic). Retrieved 6 November 2019.
3. "In a historic event .. The appointment of a woman as chief of justice in Sudan". Khartoum Star. 21 August 2019. Archived from the original on 25 August 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
4. FFC; TMC; IDEA; Reeves, Eric (10 August 2019). "Sudan: Draft Constitutional Charter for the 2019 Transitional Period". sudanreeves.org. Archived from the original on 10 August 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
5. FFC; TMC (4 August 2019). "(الدستوري Declaration (العربية))" [(Constitutional Declaration)] (PDF). raisethevoices.org (in Arabic). Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 August 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
6. "Meet Neemat Abdullah Mohamed Khair, Africa's fifth female Chief Justice". Alternative Africa. 25 August 2019. Archived from the original on 1 September 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
7. "Chief Justice And Attorney General Named, Woman To Lead The Judiciary". SudaNow. 12 October 2019. Archived from the original on 14 October 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
8. أماني, الطويل (18 October 2019). "السودان اختار نعمات خير لرئاسة القضاء، لماذا ومن هي؟". Al Houkoul (in Arabic). Retrieved 6 November 2019.
9. "TMC and FFC pick new Chief Justice". Sudan Daily. 21 August 2019. Archived from the original on 25 August 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
10. "Massive rallies demand swift appointment of Chief Justice and Attorney General". Radio Dabanga. 13 September 2019. Archived from the original on 14 September 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
11. "Sudanese call for justice in first protest under Hamdok's cabinet". Sudan Tribune. 13 September 2019. Archived from the original on 14 September 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.