Sudan

Sudanese women and girls are experiencing brutal violence as well as the deadly secondary effects of fighting and state collapse. Conflict has led half of Sudan to suffer from acute food insecurity, with famine declared in at least five areas across Darfur and the Nuba Mountains. Nearly two-thirds of female-headed households are impacted, while pregnant women and new mothers are particularly vulnerable to starvation and malnutrition. Gender-based violence has reached alarming levels, with one quarter of Sudanese at risk of violations, including systematic gang rape and kidnapping. The situation has been exacerbated by US foreign aid cuts, which impacted women-led response efforts and eliminated critical services, forcing more than 80 percent of emergency food kitchens to close and leaving three-quarters of facilities offering clinical support for rape victims non-functional. Although women lead crucial initiatives—like the Emergency Response Rooms, which support displaced populations—they remain largely shut out of official negotiations between the RSF and SAF. Women human rights defenders and women-led organizations also face escalating violence, harassment, and technology-facilitated attacks by armed groups—particularly the RSF—as retaliation for speaking out. Despite these risks, 12 women civil society leaders participated in the August 2024 peace talks in Switzerland to discuss civilian protection, including from gender-based violence; since then, mediators, known as the ‘Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan Group,’ have formed a technical group to advance women’s participation in talks and carry out consultations with women leaders. 

Both the SAF and RSF have made moves to establish political legitimacy, and although future negotiations remain possible, the risk of state fragmentation looms. Failing to comprehensively include women’s voices risks limiting the transformative potential and impact of any agreement reached. A pervasive culture of impunity, identified as a primary driver of the current conflict, also poses a fundamental threat to women’s safety and rights. Although the International Criminal Court opened an investigation into Darfur in 2005 and has reinvigorated efforts to document ongoing violations, including rape, a lack of meaningful accountability risks prolonging instability and normalizing violence against women. The humanitarian crisis is also expected to deepen dramatically in the coming months, with the capital facing famine and disrupted agriculture threatening to further strain food supplies already depleted by fighting. Access to aid will remain susceptible to blockades and attacks on both aid convoys and critical delivery hubs, like Port Sudan; this disproportionately affects women and girls, who rely heavily on humanitarian support. Without fundamental change, women in Sudan are likely to continue bearing the brunt of humanitarian catastrophe, political exclusion, and impunity.

The UN Security Council has warned of imminent risk of mass atrocities in El Obeid, as the RSF’s offensive expands across North Kordofan, threatening one of Sudan’s last functioning humanitarian hubs and compounding gendered protection risks. Intensifying drone attacks—the leading driver of civilian casualties in 2026—have destroyed critical infrastructure and displaced thousands, contributing to a humanitarian catastrophe. At the same time, outside forces such as the UAE, are reportedly fueling the conflict by supplying weapons and military support to the warring parties. The involvement of external actors complicates the stalling, exclusionary negotiation landscape, and further entrenches the conflict in which violence against women and girls remains systemic.

Sudan is home to the highest number of conflict-related internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the world, and new waves of violence continue to drive displacement. Sudan’s IDPs are in urgent need of food, shelter, and medical assistance. Nearly 19.5 million people—over 40 percent of the population—are experiencing acute food insecurity, including risk of famine. Women and girls are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition and starvation; female households are nearly three times more likely to be food insecure, while nearly three-quarters of women are falling short of minimum dietary diversity due to women eating “last and least.”Research documents how food scarcity continues to push women and girls—including those who have fled to neighboring countries—into harmful coping mechanisms such as transactional sex work and child marriage.

Conflict, disease outbreaks, flooding, and severe funding shortfalls are pushing Sudan’s already devastated health system toward further collapse, with dozens of clinics forced to close and up to 80 percent of health facilities in conflict-affected areas non- or barely-functional. Disrupted health services and water infrastructure are particularly consequential for women and girls, who face heightened risks during pregnancy and childbirth and often bear responsibility for caring for sick family members and securing household water.

Conflict-related sexual violence remains a widespread and systematic tactic of war, with a June 2026 report documenting hundreds of cases of rape, gang rape, sexual slavery, and forced marriage. Sexual and gender-based attacks disproportionately target women and girls and are reportedly being used to terrorize communities, facilitate territorial control, and drive forced displacement. Women and girls responsible for collecting water in conflict-affected areas face an impossible choice: at risk of drone attacks during the day, and sexual violence if they go out at night. Survivors face severe physical and psychological trauma. At the same time, Women human rights defenders, frontline responders, and survivors’ advocates are also facing significant risks as they document abuses and support survivors amid ongoing violence.

Nearly 8 million Sudanese children are currently out of school as the war disrupts access to education. In conflict-affected areas, fear of violence keeps families from sending children to school or leaving their homes. Displacement has created additional barriers to learning, particularly for girls who often bear unpaid care burdens and child marriage as families cope with food shortages and economic insecurity. Prolonged exclusion from education risks deepening gender inequalities and limiting girls’ opportunities to participate fully in Sudan’s future.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced a breakthrough in its investigation into alleged war crimes committed during the RSF attacks on Darfur in 2023, including executions and conflict-related sexual violence. New evidence linking to the involvement of leadership could advance efforts to establish accountability for perpetrators and provide a pathway toward justice for survivors of some of the conflict’s most severe abuses. However, significant political and operational barriers remain, including limited access to affected areas and challenges in apprehending suspects, underscoring the need for sustained international support for accountability efforts.

Amid Sudan’s ongoing conflict and economic collapse, humanitarian cash assistance is supporting women in Khartoum and Darfur to meet basic needs, restore livelihoods, and rebuild their communities. Cash transfers have enabled women to access food, medicine, and essential services while providing greater financial autonomy for households facing displacement and loss of income. Expanding gender-responsive cash assistance and livelihood support offers an opportunity to strengthen women’s resilience and support locally led recovery efforts.