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Celebrate Women's Month with Darfur Women Action Group

Women's Month 2026: Honoring the Courage of Sudanese Women



This Women’s History Month, we at Darfur Women Action Group (DWAG) honor the strength and resilience of Sudanese women who continue to stand firm in the face of war, displacement, and unimaginable violence. 


Across Sudan, women are not only surviving– they are leading. They continue to support their communities, caring for survivors, fighting for their rights, documenting atrocities, and advocating for justice, even as the world fails to give the crisis the attention it demands. 


The Plight of Women in Sudan

For nearly three years, Sudan has been engulfed in a devastating war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with the RSF committing systemic violence that the United Nations has described as war crimes, possible crimes against humanity, and a genocidal campaign. Both sides have caused death, destruction, and the displacement of over 13 million innocent civilians across Sudan, particularly in Darfur and Kordofan. 


Sexual and gender-based violence remains a defining feature of this war, with rape systematically used as a weapon of war. Recent findings by the UN Fact Finding Mission and the UN panel of experts confirm that women and girls in Sudan have been subjected to rape, sexual slaveray, abduction, ethnically targeted rape, and forced marriages, perpetrated with total impunity. 


Through mid-2025, DWAG has documented over 350 cases of rape and sexual violence and more than 160 cases of reproductive emergencies among displaced women in Darfur. Most survivors remain in urgent need of medical treatment, trauma counseling, and psychosocial support. Meanwhile, the collapse of health systems in besieged areas has left women giving birth in unsafe and unhygienic conditions, with maternal mortality rising sharply and emergency care nearly nonexistent. Survivors include girls as young as seven and women as old as 85. Medical sources report that more than 400 women and girls were subjected to sexual violence while fleeing from El Fasher to Tawila and some became pregant as a result of these attacks. Today, over 12 million women and girls in Sudan face what humanitarian officials describe as "a crisis within a crisis." 


The Courage of Sudanese Women Amid Abandonment

Despite unimaginable hardship, Sudanese women continue to lead. Grassroots and women-led organizations are a lifeline for their communities. When the war erupted and international aid agencies evacuated Sudan, it was Sudanese women alongside volunteers and civil society leaders and sustained lifesaving efforts. They became frontline humanitarian responders, delivering aid, documenting atrocities, and working to bring global attention to the crisis in Sudan.


The crimes against women in Sudan are crimes of global magnitude and require global solidarity and concrete action. Yet critical gaps remain: Women and girls lack safe spaces and access to emergency services, perpetrators operate with near total impunity, and women continue to be excluded from key decision-making processes, whether humanitarian or political, despite the central role they play in their communities. 


Legal accountability remains a far-fetched hope for millions of Sudanese, particularly in Darfur. While pursuing criminal justice is crucial, delayed accountability alone is not enough. Survivors cannot wait years for justice while they continue to face insecurity, lack of protection and services, stigma, and other devastating hardships. 


Our Commitment: Darfur Women Action Group Continues its Tireless Advocacy and Action to Keep Eyes on Sudan

To respond to these challenges, Darfur Women Action Group recently adopted the Holistic Justice Model, which addresses immediate and crucial steps for justice, without waiting for court cases alone. Survivors need and have the rights to protection, medical care, psychosocial support, and opportunities to rebuild their lives now– not years from now. At DWAG, we strongly believe justice must begin where the crisis is happening, ensuring survivors are supported while the fight for accountability continues. Read more on our International Women's Day blog post.


DWAG at the Commission on the Status of Women


This March, Darfur Women Action Group participated in the 70th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) at the UN Headquarters to bring attention to the gravity of the situation of women and girls in Sudan. DWAG’s president, Neimat Ahmadi, along with other CSO leaders spoke at high-level panels, met with member states and the newly appointed UN Secretary General personal envoy for Sudan, and brought a delegation of women leaders to urge the member states of the UN Security Council to prioritize protection, accountability for crimes committed against women in Sudan and provision of robust funding for women-led organizations. 



For a side event at CSW70, Darfur Women Action Group, in partnership with Women Advocacy and Development (WADI) and EMMA Organization for Human Development, co-hosted a panel on "Just Empowerment: Applying Holistic Justice for Women's Protection and Empowerment," featuring civil society leaders and frontline defenders from the US, Sudan, and Iraq, who shared field-based lessons, survivor-informed approaches, and policy recommendations for implementing holistic justice frameworks in conflict settings.


Celebrate Women's Month with Darfur Women Action Group

This Women’s Month, we invite you to honor the courage and resilience of women everywhere, and especially the heroic women of Sudan. You can do this by recognizing a woman in your life who inspires you and making a donation in her honor to support Darfur Women Action Group's women empowerment centers, our other lifesaving programs such as protection services in Darfur and across Sudan, and DWAG’s global advocacy.  



Each gift is a powerful way to stand in solidarity with women who face unimaginable challenges, while honoring those who inspire us in our own lives. 


Join Us in Taking Action

Your voice can make a real difference. 


What you can do:



  • Speak Up: Demand protections and accountability for perpetrators of crimes against women in Sudan




  • Donate to DWAG to help fund our efforts.


We must not let the women of Sudan fight alone. With your support and through our collective efforts, we can empower, educate, and support women to fight for rights and justice.


We thank you for your continued commitment and support.


With gratitude,



Niemat Ahmadi



Founder and President, and Darfur Women Action Group Team

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