UNFPA: 76% of Sudanese Women Feel Unsafe in Displacement
A new UNFPA assessment released on 19 April finds that 76% of Sudanese women aged 25–49 feel unsafe in displacement camps, markets, water points, and roads. The study, reported around 06:00 UTC, is based on 95 focus groups across 16 of Sudan’s 18 states.
Key Takeaways
- UNFPA assessment finds 76% of Sudanese women aged 25–49 feel unsafe in displacement sites and daily life spaces.
- The study, reported around 06:00 UTC on 19 April, drew on 95 focus group discussions across 16 of Sudan’s 18 states with about 1,000 participants.
- Findings highlight pervasive risks of gender-based violence (GBV) in camps, markets, water points, and on roads.
- The data underscores the deepening protection crisis amid Sudan’s ongoing conflict and mass displacement.
A recent assessment by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), publicised around 06:00 UTC on 19 April 2026, reveals alarming levels of insecurity among Sudanese women living amid the country’s protracted conflict and displacement. According to the findings, 76% of women aged 25 to 49 reported feeling unsafe in displacement camps, markets, water collection points, and on roads.
The assessment is based on 95 focus group discussions conducted across 16 of Sudan’s 18 states, with around 1,000 women and girls participating. UNFPA’s country representative, Fabrizia F., highlighted the scale of the protection crisis, noting that fear of violence is shaping daily decisions about movement, access to services, and livelihoods.
Background & Context
Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when tensions between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces escalated into open warfare. Fighting has devastated Khartoum and spread to multiple regions, exacerbating longstanding crises in Darfur, Kordofan, and elsewhere.
The conflict has displaced millions internally and driven hundreds of thousands into neighbouring countries. In this context, displacement camps and informal settlements have grown rapidly, often without adequate protection, sanitation, or access to basic services. Women and girls in such environments face heightened risks of sexual violence, harassment, and exploitation.
Previous reports from humanitarian agencies have documented incidents of conflict-related sexual violence, including assaults at checkpoints, during flight from conflict zones, and inside overcrowded shelters. The new UNFPA findings indicate that fear of such violence is widespread and persistent.
Key Players Involved
UNFPA coordinates with local partners, women’s groups, and other UN agencies to conduct assessments and deliver services, including reproductive health care, psychosocial support, and GBV response programmes.
At the national level, de facto authorities and armed actors on all sides bear responsibility under international law for protecting civilians and ensuring safe access to humanitarian aid. However, fragmented control on the ground and ongoing hostilities have severely limited the reach of formal institutions.
International donors and humanitarian organizations—both UN and NGOs—are critical in funding and implementing protection programmes, safe spaces for women and girls, and legal and medical support for GBV survivors.
Why It Matters
The findings have several important implications:
- Protection crisis: A 76% perceived insecurity rate signals that GBV risks are not isolated incidents but a structural feature of daily life for displaced Sudanese women.
- Access to services: Fear of movement restricts women’s access to health care, markets, schools, and humanitarian distributions, worsening overall vulnerability and undermining aid effectiveness.
- Long-term societal impact: Persistent insecurity and trauma among women and girls can have generational consequences, affecting social cohesion, economic recovery, and prospects for sustainable peace.
Regional and Global Implications
Regionally, Sudan’s crisis interacts with instability across the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, potentially driving further displacement flows and straining host communities in neighbouring states like Chad, South Sudan, and Egypt. The gendered nature of these displacements—often with women and children moving alone—heightens protection challenges across borders.
Globally, the assessment adds to mounting evidence that conflict-related GBV remains inadequately addressed despite international commitments. It may influence donor priorities, pushing for increased funding for GBV prevention and response within already stretched humanitarian budgets.
For international advocacy, the data provides a concrete basis for pressing armed actors and de facto authorities in Sudan to take specific measures—such as safe patrols, community-based protection mechanisms, and accountability for perpetrators.
Outlook & Way Forward
In the near term, UNFPA and partners are likely to scale up interventions in response to the assessment, focusing on expanded safe spaces for women and girls, mobile clinics, and improved referral pathways for survivors of violence. Community-based protection strategies—such as women’s watch groups and safer access to water points—will be critical given the limited presence of formal security forces.
However, humanitarian actors face severe access constraints due to ongoing fighting, bureaucratic impediments, and targeting of aid workers. Progress will therefore depend on negotiated humanitarian corridors and localized ceasefires, which remain uneven and fragile.
Longer term, addressing the underlying drivers of insecurity for Sudanese women will require a broader political settlement to the conflict and meaningful inclusion of women in peace processes and post-conflict reconstruction. Donors and regional organizations will need to integrate GBV prevention and women’s protection into both emergency response and future stabilization plans, ensuring that the voices reflected in the UNFPA assessment inform policies rather than remaining abstract statistics.
Sources
- OSINT