Since the outbreak of war on April 15, 2023, Sudanese women and girls have endured continuous and systematic acts of sexual violence.
Crimes including murder, rape, torture, enforced disappearance, abduction, forced confinement, sexual slavery, forced marriage, and enslavement have been weaponized in the conflict and used as tools for recruitment.
On the morning of April 15th, we found ourselves unexpectedly confronted with a situation for which we were not prepared – the outbreak of war. We had to swiftly restructure and adapt. At the onset of the war, 35 SIHA Staff were based in Sudan, with our largest office located in Khartoum, and other staff located across the country in…
The “Feminist Peace and Solidarity Conference: Women Leading Peace” was a significant event organized by the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) Network from November 22-23, 2023. The conference focused on Sudan’s crisis through a feminist lens, highlighting women’s roles in peacebuilding and conflict ..,
Since the outbreak of war on April 15, 2023, Sudanese women and girls have endured continuous and systematic acts of sexual violence.
Crimes including murder, rape, torture, enforced disappearance, abduction, forced confinement, sexual slavery, forced marriage, and enslavement have been weaponized in the conflict and used as tools for recruitment.
Following ten (10) months of horrific fighting in Sudan that have claimed thousands of lives, and led to enforced disappearances, forced evictions, and mass displacement; the people of Sudan are cut off from the outside world because of telecommunication outages, including disruptions to internet, calls, and data services.
On December 18th, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) invaded Gezira State and initiated a new phase of the ongoing conflict. Unlike in Khartoum, where upon outbreak of the war, active combat was initiated between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) within residential neighbourhoods, in Gezira the RSF entered the state swiftly and without much resistance or combat with the SAF, whose forces had quickly withdrawn from the region. While active combat was minimal in the state
Since the onset of the Sudan crisis in April 2023, SIHA Network has trucked more than 104 cases of missing women and girls on social media, revealing a deeply troubling situation.
According to the latest update from the Sudanese Group for Victims of Enforced Disappearance in December 2023, out of the 842 civilians who have disappeared, 48 women and girls have been confirmed as forcibly disappeared. These stark numbers emphasize the urgent need for immediate action and justice to address the escalating disappearance crisis in Sudan.
This latest development is a significant and alarming extension of the brutal war that has plagued the country since April 15. The conflict was initiated with clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who took over Greater Khartoum, most of the Darfur region, and now Wad Madani City 180 kilometres South of Khartoum and across Gezira State, causing unfathomable suffering.
The current conflict in Sudan, which started on the 15th of April and has claimed over 4,000 lives, and has been characterized by high rates of SGBV, has also created a severe scarcity of menstrual products throughout the country.
Women and girls who have been displaced to other neighbourhoods, cities and states are usually forced to leave under gunfire and threats of sexual violence without carrying necessary dignity kits…
When the people of Sudan took to the streets to call for the ouster of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir in 2019, women were at the forefront, leading the movement for democracy and change. It was estimated that women – who have long endured marginalisation, harassment and sexual violence in Sudan – made up as many as two-thirds of the protesters. Who can forget the viral image of the young protester Alaa Salah standing atop …
