The 16 Days of Activism Campaign Is Not Enough for Women in Sudan

Sudan Media Forum

Khartoum – Alalq Press Services Center - As the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence kicks off - from 25 November to 10 December - the world turns its attention to violence against women and girls. International and local organizations participate in the campaign to raise awareness on gender-based violence and discrimination. The theme for 2025 is “Unite to End Digital Violence Against Women and Girls.”

But in Sudan, the harsh reality goes far beyond this year’s theme. The ongoing war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has deepened the suffering of more than 40 million people - half of them women, and the majority young.

In truth, this war has not only been fought between two armed groups; it has been a war against civilians - waged through killing, looting, torture, and atrocities unprecedented in modern history. For Sudanese women who have endured displacement, loss of family members, and violence, this year’s campaign theme, while important, feels painfully detached from their brutal daily reality.

Sudan: A War on Women’s Bodies and Global Indifference

Since the war erupted on 15 April 2023 - now in its third year- international organizations and the United Nations have documented widespread violations described as a “war on women’s bodies.”
Thousands of women have been subjected to rape, abduction, enforced disappearance, and forced marriage. Countless others fled under fire, seeking refuge in neighboring regions and countries.

Despite the sheer scale of these crimes, activists say Sudanese women have received insufficient international attention. This neglect has emboldened perpetrators and allowed violations to continue unchecked.

In El Fasher: Atrocities Come to Light

After an 18-month siege, the city of El Fasher fell to RSF forces on 26 October 2025, marking the beginning of a new chapter of atrocities. For months, observers had warned that the city’s fall could trigger “potential genocide,” yet no preventive action was taken.
Sudan expert Marina Peter affirmed this grim reality, saying: “The war in Sudan was not forgotten—it was ignored.”

Tom Fletcher, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, reported hearing “horror stories” during his visit to Kurma and Tawila, including the use of women as tools of war and their exposure to horrific forms of sexual violence. He added that the situation in El Fasher remains unclear and that “the world has not provided sufficient assistance.”

Shocking Numbers: Systematic Sexual Violence Within Days

The Sudanese Doctors Union documented 32 confirmed rape cases in a single week among girls and women who reached Tawila—some violated inside El Fasher after RSF took control, others during their escape.
The network classified these incidents as war crimes and crimes against humanity, demanding an urgent international investigation and protection for survivors.

El Fasher witnessed mass displacement, with more than 65,000 people fleeing to Tawila within days, while thousands escaped northern Darfur and Kordofan toward Al-Dabbah and other northern regions.
UN reports indicate that one million children are facing acute food insecurity, while pregnant women lack access to basic healthcare, contributing to rising maternal and infant mortality rates. Generally, women in El Fasher and surrounding states now live in torn tents, with no food or medicine, and face harassment when attempting to access humanitarian aid.

A “Pandemic of Sexual Violence”: Testimonies From the Border

Amnesty International has documented dozens of cases of sexual violence involving women and girls - as young as 12 - perpetrated by all parties to the conflict. Some survivors were held for days in conditions amounting to sexual slavery.
The Unit for Combating Violence Against Women warned that reported cases represent only a fraction of the true scale, noting increased attacks along ethnic and gender lines.

During her visit to refugee camps in Chad, UN Special Representative Pramila Patten described the situation as a “war on the bodies of women and girls.”
Survivors’ testimonies include gang rape, sexual assault in front of family members, trafficking of girls, kidnapping for ransom, and targeted attacks on activists and humanitarian workers.
UN experts have also documented forced labor, enforced disappearance, sexual exploitation, and ethnic targeting by all sides of the conflict.

Crimes Without Accountability

The persistence of sexual violence is rooted in total impunity. Since 2003, sexual violence has been used as a weapon of war in Darfur, yet no serious efforts were made to arrest perpetrators or bring them to justice.
Experts warn that the absence of accountability encourages further violence and insist that sexual violence must be included in any political settlement. They stress that these crimes do not expire and cannot be overlooked.

Women must be meaningfully included in peace processes - not only because they are disproportionately affected, but because their perspectives are essential for building a just and lasting peace.

A Campaign Too Small for a Catastrophe Too Large

The suffering of Sudanese women - through displacement, starvation, lack of healthcare, and recurring sexual violence - proves that a single global campaign is not enough to confront three years of terror. Their anguish remains largely invisible to a world that has chosen to look away.

• The Sudan Media Forum and member organizations publish this report, prepared by Alalq Press Services Center, in recognition of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. Despite the importance of this year’s theme, it falls short of reflecting the extreme, widespread violence faced by women in Sudan - women whose bodies have become a battleground in a war marked by impunity, mass displacement, and international neglect.
  Sudanese women deserve genuine global solidarity.