UN Women has decried that more than 4.3 million women and girls are now displaced inside Sudan, while 17.1 million require humanitarian assistance in 2026, as access to food, shelter and medical care remains severely limited, particularly in the active conflict.

This is contained in a new Gender Alert released by the Agency which paints a grim picture of worsening conditions for women and girls, revealing that more than two-thirds of women working with women-led organisations on the front lines witnessed a significant decline in access to basic services in 2025.

The report, titled; “Three years of war: Sudanese women on the frontlines of humanitarian and local peacebuilding efforts,” highlights a sharp escalation in sexual and gender-based violence as the conflict enters its fourth year.

According to the Agency, the number of women and girls in need of support after experiencing sexual violence has nearly doubled in the last two years and quadrupled since the outbreak of the war three years ago.

Drawing on data from 85 women-led organisations operating across conflict-hit regions such as Darfur and Kordofan, the report notes that two-thirds of frontline responders recorded a rise in sexual violence in 2025, with half reporting further escalation in 2026.

The report added that violations aimed at terrorising and controlling women are being carried out with widespread impunity, worsened by blockades and persistent instability.

Despite mounting risks, women-led organisations continue to play a critical role, reaching nearly 20 million people with food, healthcare, psychosocial support and mediation in areas largely inaccessible to international actors.

However, 99 per cent of the organisations surveyed reported operational challenges due to funding shortages, insecurity and administrative impediments, while 85 per cent were affected by funding cuts in 2025.

The report also revealed that one in five women working in these organisations had received threats, underscoring the dangers faced by frontline responders. It further noted the absence of meaningful participation of Sudanese women in formal peace negotiations over the past three years.

Regional Director of UN Women for East and Southern Africa, Anna Mutavati, said the abuse has become systematic.

“Women and girls are being raped and killed in their homes, and as they flee, seek food, water and medical care. The use of sexual violence has been embedded in the blueprint of Sudan’s war,” she said.

Mutavati stressed that accountability is key to ending the crisis, noting that there can be no peace whilst sexual violence remains one of its most calculated and cruelest tactics.

UN Women therefore called for increased funding for women-led initiatives, protection of civilians, and the inclusion of women in peace processes, alongside stronger accountability measures to ensure justice for survivors.