A survey by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Gender-Based Violence Area of Responsibility (GBV AoR) found 91.4% of Sudan’s sampled women-led and women-majority groups reported funding shortfalls led to work suspensions or layoffs.
The study covered 58 organizations: 56 were women-led, while two national NGOs had women making up more than half of their leadership or staff. All 58 said they lacked sufficient funding and staff capacity. The report describes their work as including efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, provide initial psychosocial care, distribute dignity kits, raise awareness and create safe spaces.
Separately, UN Women reported that 900 of 1,400 communal kitchens across Sudan had shut by April 2025. The agency described women-led groups distributing food, offering emotional support and helping people reach health and protection providers.
A UN News feature published Oct. 24, 2026, profiled women affected by the conflict. The outlet reported that journalist and activist Tahani Al-Numeiri mistook explosions in Khartoum on Apr. 15, 2023, for wedding celebrations. It said her family was trapped as essential supplies dwindled. UN News also reported that Al-Numeiri later volunteered at a local meal kitchen and shared videos about the conflict’s effects on women and children. In the feature, she described herself as “a warrior on the frontlines.”
UN News also profiled Amna Mohamed*, who leads a UN-supported organization providing meals and financial assistance to women in North Darfur. The outlet reported that she remained in El Fasher during the siege. The asterisk indicates UN News changed her name to protect her identity.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) dates the start of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to Apr. 15, 2023, and the RSF siege of El Fasher to May 2024. OHCHR said the RSF began its final offensive on Oct. 24, 2025. The RSF announced the city’s capture on Oct. 26, and OHCHR said it had full control by Oct. 28.
The feature also identified Israa Hamid Khalil as a psychological support officer at the UN Women-supported East Nile Women’s Empowerment Centre in Khartoum. UN News said the centre offers mental health services, training and help with earning a livelihood.
