SUDAN’S Constitutional Court has suspended a controversial decree by the Khartoum state governor banning women from working in some public places. ”Women in the private and public sectors should continue to work in their places until a final decision is taken on the case,” the court said. Governor Mazjoub al-Khalifa, citing Islamic sharia law, barred women from working in petrol stations, hotels and cafes in a move which angered women’s and human rights groups. Human Rights Watch, a Washington-based group, criticised the ban as a violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights signed by Sudan’s Islamist-led government. – Reuters
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