Sudan's war on women: The number of people in need of sexual violence support quadruples as abuse of women and girls becomes the blueprint of war, three years on
As the war in Sudan enters its fourth year with sexual violence as one of its most defining features, UN Women calls for the protection of all women and girls, accountability for all perpetrators, and a major scale-up in funding for women-led front-line response.
New York/Port Sudan, 14 April 2026— Sexual violence continues to surge across Sudan, with the number of women and girls requiring support after experiencing gender-based violence nearly doubling in two years and quadrupling since the start of the war three years ago, according to a new Gender Alert: The Impact of the War in Sudan on Women and Girls, published today by UN Women.
![On 10 December 2024 in Sudan, Omnia [NAME CHANGED] peers through the window during a visit to a women’s organization. Displaced from her home due to fighting and threats, she lives with the trauma of being kidnapped, threatened, beaten and raped by armed men. To support her healing, Omnia is receiving mental health and psychosocial support from a women’s organization. Photo: UNICEF/UNI754435/Tess Ingram](/sites/default/files/styles/hq_hero_banner_2880/public/2026-04/sudan_gbv_sexualviolence_2024_filephoto_uni754435_1200x800.jpg.webp?itok=8_a3shsw)
The analysis draws on evidence from 85 women-led organizations operating across Sudan, including on the frontlines of the war in Darfur and Kordofan. Two-thirds of women front-line responders reported a significant increase in sexual violence in 2025, and half reported further escalation in 2026, according to new survey data featured in the alert.
"Women and girls are being raped and killed in their homes, and as they flee, seek food, water and medical care. The use of sexual violence has been embedded in the blueprint of Sudan's war", said Anna Mutavati, UN Women Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.
More than 4.3 million women and girls are now displaced inside Sudan, whilst 17.1 million require humanitarian assistance in 2026. Yet for many, especially in active conflict areas, there is limited or no access to food, shelter, or medical care. More than two-thirds of women working for women-led organizations on the front lines of the humanitarian response witnessed a significant increase in a lack of access to basic essential services in 2025.
All violations designed to inflict terror, humiliation and control over women and girls are compounded by blockades and ongoing instability and are being carried out with widespread impunity. “Ending this war means ending the impunity that sustains it and recognizing that there can be no peace whilst sexual violence remains one of its most calculated and cruelest tactics", said Mutavati.
Women-led organizations assessed in the alert are reaching nearly 20 million people in need across Sudan. In conditions that are increasingly incompatible with basic survival, they are providing food to families, medical care and psychosocial support to survivors of sexual violence, mediating local conflicts, negotiating humanitarian access in places where formal systems have collapsed and international actors cannot reach.
Almost all (99 per cent) of surveyed women-led organizations in Sudan report implementation challenges linked to funding shortages, impediments caused by authorities, and insecurity. Some 85 per cent of surveyed women-led organizations in Sudan report being affected by funding reductions or cuts in 2025. Women working on the front lines face threats and targeted attacks, with one in five surveyed women working for women-led organizations having reported receiving threats. There has been no meaningful participation of Sudanese woman as negotiators in official peace talks over the past three years.
UN Women is on the ground in Sudan delivering life-saving support to women and girls, including protection services, psychosocial support and essential supplies. UN Women calls for the protection of civilians and the full, safe, and meaningful inclusion of women in humanitarian response, including direct support for women-led efforts.
UN Women calls for accountability for perpetrators, access to justice for victims and survivors, and the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in peace processes and decision-making.
Three years of War in Sudan: What you need to know
A devastating crisis is unfolding for women and girls – driven by conflict, violence, famine, and displacement, and compounded by lack of access to basic services.
Explore the latest analysis, data, and updates.
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