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UN Women says sexual violence has become a defining feature of Sudan’s war
Number of survivors needing support has quadrupled since conflict began
More than 4.3 million women and girls displaced within Sudan
Women-led organisations face funding shortages, insecurity and threats
Sexual violence against women and girls in Sudan has increased sharply during the country’s ongoing conflict, with the number of survivors requiring support nearly doubling in two years and quadrupling since the war began three years ago, according to a new report by United Nations’ agency UN Women.
The findings come as the conflict enters its fourth year, with the agency warning that abuse of women and girls has become “one of its most defining features”.
The report, titled Three years of war: Sudanese women on the frontlines of humanitarian and local peacebuilding efforts, draws on evidence from 85 women-led organisations working across the country, including in heavily affected regions such as Darfur and Kordofan.
According to survey data included in the report, two-thirds of women front-line responders reported a significant increase in sexual violence in 2025, while half said it escalated further in 2026.
“Women and girls are being raped and killed in their homes, and as they flee, seek food, water and medical care,” said Anna Mutavati, UN Women’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, said in a statement. She added that the use of sexual violence had been “embedded in the blueprint of Sudan’s war”.
The report says violations are being used to inflict terror, humiliation and control, and are being carried out with widespread impunity.
More than 4.3 million women and girls are now internally displaced in Sudan, while 17.1 million people are estimated to require humanitarian assistance in 2026.
For many, especially those in active conflict areas, access to basic services such as food, shelter and healthcare remains limited or entirely unavailable.
More than two-thirds of women working with women-led organisations reported a significant deterioration in access to essential services in 2025.
UN Women said the crisis is being compounded by blockades and ongoing instability, further restricting aid delivery.
Despite the challenges, women-led organisations are playing a central role in the humanitarian response, reaching nearly 20 million people in need across Sudan, according to the report.
They are providing food, medical care and psychosocial support to survivors, as well as mediating local conflicts and negotiating humanitarian access in areas where formal systems have collapsed.
However, 99 per cent of surveyed organisations reported operational challenges linked to funding shortages, restrictions by authorities and insecurity. Around 85 per cent said they were affected by funding cuts in 2025.
Women working on the front lines also face risks, with one in five reporting having received threats.
UN Women has called for greater protection of civilians, accountability for perpetrators and increased funding for women-led responses. The agency also highlighted the absence of Sudanese women from formal peace negotiations over the past three years.
“Ending this war means ending the impunity that sustains it,” Mutavati said in the statement, adding that there could be “no peace whilst sexual violence remains one of its most calculated and cruelest tactics”.