Women in Sudan are living through one of the world’s most severe humanitarian and protection crises. War has displaced millions, deepened hunger, damaged healthcare and exposed women and girls to sexual violence, exploitation and other human-rights abuses. In 2026, 33.7 million people in Sudan require humanitarian assistance; UN Women estimates that 17.1 million of them are women and girls.

Yet victimhood is not the whole story. Sudanese women are also running community kitchens, treating patients, documenting violations, organising evacuations and mediating local disputes. Understanding their situation therefore means holding two truths together: women and girls face gendered harm on an immense scale, and they remain indispensable leaders in humanitarian response and peacebuilding. Both realities require urgent international support.

Key takeaways

• Sudan’s war began on 15 April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces after the country’s political transition broke down.

• Around 8.8 million people were internally displaced as of 30 June 2026, while millions more had crossed borders or returned to badly damaged areas.

• An estimated 12.7 million people, predominantly women and girls, need support related to sexual and gender-based violence in 2026.

• Hunger and collapsing services amplify existing gender inequality, particularly for displaced women, female-headed households, pregnant women, girls and women with disabilities.

• Sudanese women-led organisations are delivering aid at scale but face insecurity, threats, restrictive systems and severe funding shortages.

• Effective support combines funding for trusted humanitarian and women-led responses with advocacy for civilian protection, humanitarian access, accountability and women’s meaningful role in peace efforts.

Sudan conflict explained: how did the war begin?

Sudan’s current war is rooted in a failed political transition, alongside a longer history of authoritarian rule, militarisation, regional marginalisation and impunity.

After nearly 30 years in power, President Omar al-Bashir was removed in 2019 following mass protests in which women played a highly visible role. A fragile civilian-military transition followed. In October 2021, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan of the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, helped overthrow the transitional government.

Their alliance later fractured amid a struggle over political power, military control and the proposed integration of the RSF into the regular armed forces. Fighting erupted in Khartoum on 15 April 2023 and spread across the country.

By 2025, the SAF had retaken Khartoum and other territory, while the RSF controlled much of Darfur. During 2026, Kordofan became a major focus of violence. Front lines continue to change.

Both the SAF and RSF, along with affiliated forces, have been accused of serious violations against civilians. The type, scale and geographic pattern of documented abuses are not identical, however. Precise attribution matters: responsibility belongs to perpetrators and commanders, not to an entire ethnic, regional or social group.

The current situation of women in Sudan

The crisis cannot be reduced to one number. Humanitarian estimates measure different things and cover different dates. The following figures offer a snapshot, not a complete count of every person harmed.

Area	Latest evidence available when checked	What it shows
Humanitarian need	33.7 million people require assistance in 2026; 17.1 million are women and girls	Women and girls need food, shelter, healthcare, protection and livelihoods support on an enormous scale
Internal displacement	About 8.8 million people were internally displaced on 30 June 2026	Many families have fled repeatedly; returning does not necessarily mean returning safely
Gender-based violence services	12.7 million people, predominantly women and girls, need related support in 2026	Need has quadrupled compared with the period before the current war
Acute hunger	Nearly 19.5 million people faced crisis-level hunger or worse through May 2026	More than 5 million were in Emergency and 135,000 in Catastrophe during the February–May assessment period
Healthcare	WHO estimated that nearly 40% of health facilities were non-functional in early 2026	Pregnancy, childbirth, chronic illness and care after violence have all become more dangerous
Education	At least 8 million children remained out of school in April 2026	Girls risk lost learning, greater care burdens, insecure work and pressure to marry

Displacement turns everyday responsibilities into dangers

Displaced women in Sudan may be caring for children, older relatives or people with disabilities while trying to secure water, food, shelter, medicine and an income. A journey that once took minutes can involve checkpoints, bombardment, harassment or hours of walking.

UN Women’s July 2026 warning from El Obeid in North Kordofan illustrates the trap. Drone attacks around water sources during the day reportedly pushed women and girls to collect water after dark, when they faced increased risks of harassment and sexual violence. A basic task became dangerous at any hour.

Displacement also strips away protective networks. Families are separated, documents are lost, savings run out and livelihoods disappear. Overcrowded shelters may lack private toilets, lighting, menstrual products or secure sleeping areas. Refugees can encounter new risks at borders, in transit and in under-resourced settlements.

Returns require equal caution. Some people moving back towards Khartoum and Al Jazirah find damaged homes, disrupted utilities, scarce healthcare and unexploded weapons. A falling displacement total can reflect movement, not recovery.

Hunger has a gendered impact

The latest joint food-security analysis released in May 2026 found that nearly 19.5 million people—about two in five people in Sudan—faced acute food insecurity at IPC Phase 3 or above. More than 5 million were at Emergency level, and 14 areas across Darfur and Kordofan were at risk of famine if the situation deteriorated. A June outlook projected the number in Catastrophe to increase during the June–September lean season.

Hunger affects whole households, but not always equally. UN Women’s 2025 analysis found female-headed households were three times as likely to face severe food insecurity as male-headed households. Women may eat last so children can eat, while pregnant and breastfeeding women have additional nutritional needs.

Women also carry much of the unpaid work needed to keep a household alive: searching farther for food, queuing for water and fuel and caring for relatives weakened by hunger or disease. This essential labour is often invisible.

Maternal healthcare and the wider health system are collapsing

War has damaged facilities, driven away health workers and interrupted supplies of medicines, blood, electricity and fuel. WHO’s 2026 appeal estimated that 8.1 million women and girls of reproductive age, including more than 803,000 pregnant women, needed urgent reproductive healthcare. Nearly 1.1 million births were expected during the year.

Those figures conceal extreme local variation. In March 2026, a UNFPA-led mapping of 285 facilities assessed for clinical care after rape found that only 27% were fully functional. A facility counted as open may still lack obstetric care, trained staff, medicines or a reliable referral route.

The result is not simply fewer appointments. It can mean a woman travelling through fighting while in labour, giving birth without skilled assistance, or being unable to obtain time-sensitive care after sexual violence. Women with chronic illnesses and disabilities face additional transport, communication and accessibility barriers.

Girls are losing education, protection and choices

Schools have reopened in some areas, but UNICEF reported in April 2026 that at least 8 million children remained out of school. More than one-third of schools were closed, while a further 11% were being used as shelters or reportedly occupied by parties to the conflict.

For girls, lost education can be linked to more unpaid care, insecure labour, exploitation and pressure to marry. Child marriage was already widespread before the war: UNICEF data indicate that roughly one in three Sudanese girls married before turning 18. Conflict does not make every marriage forced, but poverty, displacement and fear can narrow a girl’s ability to choose. Some families may view marriage as economic relief or protection, although it can instead expose girls to interrupted education, early pregnancy and violence.

Women and adolescent girls have also lost jobs, farms and businesses. Without identity documents or banking, displaced women can struggle to receive cash assistance, prove property ownership or restart work, increasing dependence and the risk of exploitation.

Gender-based and sexual violence in Sudan

Conflict-related sexual violence is a major feature of the Sudan war. Survivors and investigators have reported rape, gang rape, sexual slavery, abduction and other abuse in homes, during flight, at checkpoints, in detention and around sites where people search for water or food.

In June 2026, the UN Human Rights Office reported that it had verified 546 incidents affecting at least 838 victims between April 2023 and mid-April 2026 across 16 of Sudan’s 18 states. Most victims were women and girls. The office attributed most verified incidents to men in RSF uniforms, affiliated fighters and allied militias, while also documenting incidents attributed to SAF personnel, affiliated security actors and other armed movements.

These are verified incidents, not an estimate of total prevalence. The distinction is vital.

Sexual violence is severely under-reported in every setting and especially during active war. Survivors may fear retaliation, stigma or rejection. Police, clinics and phone networks may not function. Investigators cannot safely reach many areas, and a survivor’s immediate priority may be escape, food or medical care rather than formal reporting. The true scale is therefore understood to be far higher than the verified count, but no responsible source can provide an exact total.

A survivor-centred response respects privacy, safety and choice. Healthcare, psychosocial support and legal assistance should not depend on public disclosure or a police report. Media users can also do harm by circulating identifiable images, graphic accounts or unverified allegations without consent.

Risk is not uniform. Women from non-Arab communities in parts of Darfur have faced overlapping gendered and ethnically targeted violence. Age, disability, poverty, displacement and location create further barriers. “Sudanese women” do not share one experience.

Sudanese women activists, responders and peacebuilders

Sudanese women are not waiting passively for international rescue. They have long organised for democracy and women’s rights, and they continue to lead local responses during the war.

Women work through neighbourhood Emergency Response Rooms and other mutual-aid networks. They run communal kitchens known as takaaya, distribute medicine, arrange evacuations, support learning and connect survivors with services. Health workers keep facilities operating, while lawyers, journalists and human-rights defenders document violations.

The scale is remarkable. In a 2026 gender alert, UN Women reported that 85 surveyed women-led and women’s-rights organisations had supported more than 17.5 million people during 2025, 67% of them women and girls. This was self-reported programme reach and may include people who received more than one service, so it should not be read as 17.5 million unique beneficiaries. It nevertheless shows how central local women’s organisations are to the humanitarian response.

The Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund reports supporting 110 women-led and women’s-rights organisations in Sudan since 2020. Close to half received UN funding for the first time through the fund.

Yet frontline leadership has not brought secure funding or political power. Almost all surveyed organisations reported operational challenges; 85% said funding cuts affected them in 2025. One in five women working for them reported receiving threats. Sudanese women have also lacked meaningful inclusion in formal peace negotiations.

Supporting women peacebuilders in Sudan therefore means more than inviting a few representatives to a meeting. It requires direct, flexible and multi-year funding, protection for women human-rights defenders and real influence over ceasefires, humanitarian access, justice and the country’s political future.

Why the international response is falling short

Sudan’s 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan seeks about US$2.87 billion to assist 20.4 million people—far fewer than the 33.7 million assessed as needing aid. When checked on 5 August 2026, around US$1.16 billion, or roughly 40%, had been reported against the plan.

Money is only part of the problem. Fighting, damaged roads, administrative restrictions and attacks on aid workers obstruct delivery. Local groups may reach communities that international organisations cannot, yet complex registration, banking and reporting requirements can exclude them from funding.

Humanitarian aid can save lives, but it cannot substitute for civilian protection or a political solution. International action also needs to address humanitarian access, arms flows, accountability for crimes and the exclusion of women from decision-making. These priorities reinforce one another: services for survivors will remain overwhelmed while violence continues with impunity.

How to help women in Sudan responsibly

The most useful action is informed, sustained and led by what Sudanese people say they need. A single social-media post or one-off donation is not a complete response, but it can be a meaningful start.

1. Choose the kind of response you want to support

Different organisations do different work. Examples with current official Sudan activity include:

• Women-led humanitarian action and peacebuilding: the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund finances women-led and women’s-rights organisations, including groups in Sudan.

• Reproductive healthcare and gender-based violence services: UNFPA supports maternal health, clinical care, psychosocial support, safe spaces and protection services.

• Food and nutrition assistance: the World Food Programme provides food, cash and nutrition support and publishes current Sudan operational needs.

• Children and families: UNICEF works on nutrition, water, health, protection and education.

• Multi-sector humanitarian aid: organisations such as the International Rescue Committee provide health, protection, water and livelihoods support in Sudan and neighbouring countries.

This list is illustrative. Recheck current operations and donation restrictions immediately before giving.

2. Verify before donating

Use this five-point check:

1. Start from the official domain. Do not rely on a link copied from a comment, direct message or reposted video.

2. Look for a recent Sudan update. Confirm that the organisation currently operates in Sudan or with refugees in a named neighbouring country.

3. Check transparency. Look for recent reports, financial information, safeguarding policies and a clear explanation of how funds are used.

4. Examine local partnership. Strong responses should explain how Sudanese organisations and affected communities shape decisions, not merely appear in photographs.

5. Treat personal accounts and cryptocurrency appeals cautiously. Unless the organiser’s identity, relationship to the work and payment route can be independently confirmed, choose a verified alternative.

Direct support can be valuable, but some frontline groups limit their public profile for safety. Use a recognised fund or established partner when independent verification is not possible.

3. Advocate for policies that match the scale of the crisis

Contact elected representatives and ask for specific action rather than a generic statement of concern. Relevant requests include:

• maintaining humanitarian and refugee-response funding;

• pressing all parties to allow safe, rapid and sustained humanitarian access;

• supporting independent investigations and survivor-centred accountability;

• addressing unlawful arms transfers and enforcing applicable restrictions;

• protecting refugees from forced return and supporting host countries; and

• ensuring Sudanese women have meaningful influence in peace and political processes.

4. Share information without exploiting survivors

Follow credible Sudanese journalists, women human-rights defenders and organisations, while recognising that visibility can create risk. Check the date, location and original source before sharing. Sudan and South Sudan are separate countries; footage and statistics from one are frequently mislabelled as the other.

Avoid graphic imagery, identifiable survivor accounts and language that reduces women to helpless victims. Share women’s analysis and leadership too.

Women in Sudan need solidarity that follows their leadership

Women in Sudan face a crisis created by war, entrenched inequality and an international response that remains too small. Displacement, hunger, lost livelihoods, collapsing maternal healthcare and gender-based violence compound one another; none can be solved in isolation.

But Sudanese women are also feeding communities, keeping health services alive, defending rights and building peace under extraordinary pressure. The most responsible response is neither pity nor silence. It is sustained support for safety, services, justice and women’s power to shape Sudan’s future.

Choose one concrete next step today: verify a donation, contact a representative, share a dated source or learn from a Sudanese women-led organisation. Then keep paying attention after the headline has moved on.

Frequently asked questions

Are Sudan and South Sudan the same country?

No. South Sudan became independent from Sudan in 2011. Both countries face serious but distinct conflicts and humanitarian crises. Always check the country name, date and location before sharing statistics, images or donation appeals.

Why do statistics about Sudan’s displacement and hunger differ?

Figures may cover different dates, populations and methods. One source may count people currently displaced inside Sudan, another may include refugees and returnees, and another may report everyone displaced since April 2023. Food-security figures also change by season and distinguish between Crisis, Emergency, Catastrophe and an area-level famine classification. Compare the definition and reporting period before comparing numbers.

Can I donate directly to Sudanese women-led organisations?

Sometimes, but direct public donation routes are not available or safe for every frontline group. Verify the organisation, its current activity and its payment channel independently. If that is not possible, use a recognised fund that publishes how it selects and finances Sudanese women-led partners.

F. Sources and fact-check notes

Fact-check notes

• Current figures were checked on 5 August 2026. Humanitarian dashboards are regularly revised, so the reporting date is included beside time-sensitive statistics.

• “Need for gender-based violence services” is a planning estimate and must not be described as the number of survivors.

• OHCHR’s 838 victims are people affected in verified incidents through mid-April 2026, not a complete prevalence estimate.

• IOM and UNHCR displacement totals can fall when people return or move again; this does not by itself demonstrate safe or durable recovery.

• UN Women’s figure for the reach of 85 organisations is based on surveyed organisations’ reporting and may include people receiving multiple services.

• Organisation and donation examples should be rechecked on the day of publication and periodically afterwards.

<details> <summary><strong>Sources</strong></summary> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/sudan/sudan-humanitarian-needs-and-response-plan-2026-summary" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">OCHA — Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2026</a></li> <li><a href="https://humanitarianaction.info/plan/1514" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2026</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/faqs/how-women-and-girls-are-being-targeted-in-the-war-in-sudan" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">UN Women — How women and girls are being targeted in the war in Sudan</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2026/04/gender-alert-three-years-of-war-sudanese-women-on-the-frontlines-of-humanitarian-and-local-peacebuilding-efforts" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">UN Women — Three years of war: Sudanese women on the frontlines of humanitarian and local peacebuilding efforts</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/statement/2026/07/drone-attacks-by-day-and-sexual-violence-by-night-leave-no-safe-window-for-women-and-girls-to-collect-water-amidst-rainy-season-in-sudans-el-obeid" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">UN Women — Drone attacks by day and sexual violence by night leave no safe window for women and girls to collect water amidst rainy season in Sudan’s El Obeid</a></li> <li><a href="https://data.unhcr.org/en/country/sdn" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">UNHCR Operational Data Portal — Country: Sudan</a></li> <li><a href="https://dtm.iom.int/reports/dtm-sudan-displacement-and-return-snapshot-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">IOM — Sudan Displacement and Return Snapshot 6</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/risk-of-famine-persists-as-nearly-19.5-million-people-face-acute-food-insecurity-in-sudan/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">FAO, WFP and UNICEF — Nearly 19.5 million people face acute food insecurity in Sudan</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2025/08/women-led-households-at-triple-risk-of-severe-food-insecurity-in-sudan" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">UN Women — Women-led households at triple risk of severe food insecurity in Sudan</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/sudan--who-health-emergency-appeal-2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WHO — Sudan Health Emergency Appeal 2026</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.unfpa.org/resources/unfpa-situation-report-sudan-%E2%80%93-march-2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">UNFPA — Situation Report on Sudan, March 2026</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/ohchr-report-devastating-human-rights-impacts-conflict-related-sexual" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">OHCHR Report on the Devastating Human Rights Impacts of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in Sudan</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/least-245-child-casualties-sudan-first-90-days-2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">UNICEF — At least 245 child casualties in Sudan in the first 90 days of 2026</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.unicef.org/sudan/stories/married-13-mother-works-stop-practice-child-marriage-her-community" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">UNICEF Sudan — Married at 13, a mother works to stop the practice of child marriage in her community</a></li> <li><a href="https://wphfund.org/wphf-at-10/ikhlas-awad-yaseen/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund — Ikhlas Awad Yaseen, Sudan</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.unfpa.org/donate/Sudan" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">UNFPA — Help newborns and mothers survive in Sudan</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.wfp.org/emergencies/sudan" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Food Programme — Risk of Famine in Sudan</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/emergency-response-sudan" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">UNICEF — Emergency response in Sudan</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.rescue.org/article/crisis-sudan-what-happening-and-how-help" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">International Rescue Committee — Crisis in Sudan: What is happening and how to help</a></li> </ul> </details>