UN Women Report: Escalating Conflict-Related GBV in Sudan

UN Women Report: Escalating Conflict-Related SGBV in Sudan and Humanitarian Need Rises to 12.4 Million Women and Girls in 2026

A report issued by UN Women has revealed a severe escalation in conflict-related sexual violence in Sudan amid the ongoing war and worsening humanitarian and security conditions, leading to an unprecedented deterioration in the situation of women and girls.

According to the report, more than 500 verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence were documented in Sudan in 2025, with 98% of victims being women and girls, highlighting the systematic gender-based nature of these violations. The report also indicates that most of these cases involved targeting based on ethnicity or perceived affiliation with parties to the conflict.

Globally, the United Nations recorded approximately 9,788 verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 2025, which is double the number recorded in 2024, reflecting the growing scale of these crimes in conflict zones, including Sudan.

The report stresses that the documented figures in Sudan represent only a fraction of the true scale of the crisis, as UN estimates indicate that fear of retaliation, social stigma, the collapse of judicial systems, and limited access to affected areas significantly hinder reporting and verification.

In a worrying development, UN Women data shows that the number of women and girls in need of protection and support for gender-based violence has quadrupled since the beginning of the war over three years ago, reaching an estimated 12.4 million women and girls in Sudan in 2026, the vast majority requiring urgent psychosocial support, protection services, and assistance.

The report also highlights that women in Sudan are not only survivors but are also on the front lines of response efforts, with psychologists, doctors, and social workers operating under extremely difficult conditions to support survivors—many of whom are themselves displaced and living under direct threat.

Among the cases highlighted is Amana Suleiman, a displaced psychologist working in Port Sudan, who provides psychosocial support sessions to survivors of violence, alongside her daughter Fatima Ahmed, a doctor providing medical care to affected women, reflecting a generational partnership in responding to the crisis.

The report also refers to Al-Tatouma Juma, a social worker in North Darfur, who provides psychosocial support in Tawila, a major displacement area hosting hundreds of thousands of people. She stresses that the level of need far exceeds available resources, describing current support as “far from sufficient” to address the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe.

UN Women concludes its report by calling for flexible and sustainable humanitarian funding, including allocating at least 15% of humanitarian funding to women-led organizations, as they are often best positioned to reach affected women and girls.

It also urges an immediate ceasefire, protection of civilians, and full and meaningful participation of women in peace processes and humanitarian response, emphasizing that these steps are essential to ending the escalating cycle of violence.

The report concludes that Sudan is currently facing one of the most severe gender-based violence crises in the world, where war, displacement, and institutional collapse combine to place women and girls at the center of the suffering.