Your Excellency, Honourable Commissioner Hatem Essaiem,
The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) is a regional feminist network with over 200 member organizations working across South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, and the Somali region. We welcome this opportunity to address the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) this session.
We welcome this opportunity to engage with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) on the current context across the Horn of Africa (HoA) and the rights of women and girls in the region during its 83rd Ordinary Session. Founded in 1995, the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) is an indigenous feminist network comprising more than 200 civil society organizations dedicated to advancing gender justice across Uganda, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Somali Region.
The Horn of Africa region has a history of complex peace and security issues driven by governance challenges and regional geopolitics, leading to prolonged and renewed cycles of conflicts. As a result, the region has seen high levels of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) against women and girls. Statistics show that 42% of women in the region have experienced some form of physical or…
In the aftermath of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) brutal attack on Zamzam Camp — one of Darfur’s largest and oldest displacement camps —on April 12, 2025, new and horrifying details continue to emerge. Zamzam, home to between 350,000 and 500,000 displaced civilians, has become the latest epicentre of mass atrocity crimes perpetrated by the RSF.
Press Statement: Update on Atrocities at Zamzam Displacement Camp, North Darfur Read More »
SIHA Network expresses deep devastation and outrage over the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) brutal attack on the Zamzam IDP Camp in North Darfur today, which killed over 112 civilians in just a few hours, including children, the elderly, and women.
We are dismayed and shocked by the loss of community workers and volunteers from the women-led community kitchen we have been supporting and partnering with inside the Camp.
We, the women of South Sudan, are deeply concerned and strongly condemn the escalating violence in our country, particularly the recent clashes in Nasir, Upper Nile State, that erupted on February 14, 2025. We extend our deepest condolences to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for the tragic loss of their crew member and to all the families mourning their loved ones lost in this conflict.
We are also thrilled to celebrate some notable achievements, including our Regional Director being named among BBC’s 100 most influential women of 2024, and our Board Member and Ethiopia Lead being recognized as one of Africa’s 100 most influential women. …
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OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2024 NEWSLETTER EDITION Read More »
The humanitarian and human rights catastrophe in Sudan has reached unprecedented levels, with conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) being systematically weaponized against women and girls in the ongoing war. The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) Network submits this statement to the Human Rights Council under Item 2, urging immediate intervention to address this escalating crisis. SIHA is a regional feminist organization with over 200 women-led organizations as network members dedicated to advancing the rights and well-being of women and girls across the Horn of Africa.
منذ اندلاع الحرب في السودان في 15 أبريل 2023، ظل المدنيون يعانون من فظائع شنيعة، بما في ذلك عمليات القتل الجماعي، والتهجير القسري، والنهب، وتدمير البنية التحتية للبلاد. وقد تعرضت النساء والفتيات للاستهداف بشكل خاص، حيث تعرضن للعنف الجنسي والاختفاء القسري والانتهاكات الجسيمة الأخرى.
غير مرئيات وغير مسموعات: النساء والفتيات المفقودات في حرب السودان Read More »
Since the onset of the war in Sudan on April 15, 2023, civilians have suffered
severe atrocities, including mass killings, forced displacement, looting, and the
destruction of infrastructure. Women and girls have been particularly targeted,
facing sexual violence, enforced disappearances, and other grave violations.
This report will specifically delve into the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of
Africa (SIHA) Network’s work on enforced disappearance.
Unseen and Unheard: The Plight of Missing Women and Girls Amidst Sudan’s Crisis Read More »
