Fatima Abubakr: Sudan’s First Female Army Officer
13 January, 2015Khartoum (SUDANOW) Navigation into the biography of the first ever Sudanese female army officer is full interesting narrative.
It all happened by chance when the commander of the Army’s Medical Corps called on his wife who was under medication at a women’s ward in a Khartoum hospital. Fatima, who as a senior nurse was in charge, welcomed the Captain, Dr. Hussein Abdulrahman al-Shallali. She explained to him how his wife was faring and, in the course of conversation, asked him why the Army would not set up a female nursing unit in the Medical Corps.
Very soon the Commander appreciated the idea and asked about Fatima’s credentials. Back to his office, he took the decision to recruit her as a staff sergeant and as the first woman to join the army. This was in 1958.
Fatima’s daring personality had been inherited from her grandfather Mohammad wad Gadah Addam, a prominent leader in the Mahdiyya Revolution that ended the Turkish rule of the Sudan in 1885.Her mother was a descendent of yet another Mahdiyya fighter, Emir Abu Kadoak.
Upon her appointment , Fatima immediately embarked on the establishment of a women’s section (then called the Haraymat section) in Omdurman Military Hospital. She very soon set a nutrition unit in the Hospital’s obstetrics section and then an office responsible for new female recruits in the Corps.
Then in 1962 the sitting dean in the Higher Nursing College Hawwa Ali al-Baseer and her predecessor in the office Hawwa Mohammad Salih joined forces and approached the then President, General Ibrahim Abboud , with a request to promote Fatima to the rank of first staff sergeant. The General gave his consent immediately, now that the two ladies had explained to him her good knowledge and outstanding performance in civilian hospitals.
Then came the monumental decision by former President Jaafar Mohammad Nimeri on the 1st of August 1969 in which Fatima was promoted to the rank of 1st lieutenant .
Fatima was born in Abbasiyya suburb of Omdurman. Her father died when she was just forty days old. She then grew up in Abukadoak in the custody of her grandfather. She finished primary education at Miss Miller School, intermediate education at Hay al-Shati school and secondary education at Bait al-Amana Secondary School. After that she received post-secondary education at the higher institutes and then graduated from the Higher Nursing School with a nursing certificate in hospital management, a certificate in therapeutic education and a certificate in health midwifery.
During her bright career, Fatima received accolades of sorts from the successive governments of Sudan. She received medals, badges and decorations from President Nimeri, President Sowar Addahab , Prime Minister Sadik al-Mahdi and , after her death, she was commemorated by the Salvation Revolution. This was in recognition of her excellent performance and dedication to the job. She died in 1988 as an army lieutenant colonel.
She was married to yet a high- ranking army officer, Major General (paratrooper) Gasmallah Abdallah Rassas, who served as President of the South Sudan High Executive Council in 1981. They had two sons: Nasreddin and Izzeddin and one daughter: Waheeba.
E N D
YH/ AS
Photo of the Week
Khartoum (Sudanow) — In just three days, the war in Sudan will complete its third year since it erupted on April 15, 2023. The conflict pits the Sudanese Armed Forces, supported by allied forces, against the rebel militia and its backers at both regional and international levels. Experts believe this war is no longer purely an internal affair; rather, it has evolved into...
More-
13 April, 2026
Stories from the Heart of the Battlefield War and the Growing Suffering of People with Disabilities
Khartoum (Sudanow) — As the war in Sudan enters its fourth year, and destruction has affected everyone, the suffering of people with disabilities has doubled. This vulnerable group faces severe risks due to war, displacement, and the difficulty of accessing medical and humanitarian aid, in addition to the near-total collapse of educational, medical, and rehabilitation services. To understand the scale of suffering and t...
Contact Us
Address: Sudan News Agency (SUNA) Building, Jamhoria Street, Khartoum - Sudan
Mobile:+249 909220011 / +249 912307547