Women ‘first to suffer’ under siege, first to step up as frontline responders in Sudan

This article is published in association with United Nations.

When Tahani Al-Numeiri heard the first explosions in Khartoum, her hometown, war seemed so remote that she assumed they were celebrations from a nearby wedding. It was the morning of 15 April 2023, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces had just turned their guns on the army.

Large-scale conflict had only ever been either something that happened to others, or the stuff of fiction.

“I never imagined my life would turn out just like in the movie,” she says.

Yet for her and millions of Sudanese people, it came knocking on their front door as the war between rival militaries erupted three and a half years ago, triggering one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

In the face of mass displacement, hunger, and psychosocial trauma, some women – spotlighted by gender equality agency, UN Women – rolled up their sleeves and emerged as key frontline responders.

Inside besieged Khartoum

Ms. Al-Numeiri and her family were one of the many who found themselves trapped in areas taken under siege.

In their case, they got stuck in Khartoum, which was disputed between the two main combatants – the RSF and the military government’s Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).

Ms. Al-Numeiri, a journalist and activist, remembers how communication networks collapsed, banking services became inaccessible and essential supplies disappeared.

They were left with nothing to eat except boiled wheat, and they had to burn their furniture to keep themselves warm when fuel ran out.

Malnutrition, contaminated water and lack of medical care caused her to fall critically ill.

“My body was swollen, my skin was peeling, scabs were coming off. I had a severe fever, and there was blood in my eyes. I could not even see anyone next to me. My family had given up. They said I was going to die,” she said.

Standing back up

“Sunset came, then night, and I found myself still alive in my room”, says Ms. Al-Numeiri.

After Khartoum was retaken by government troops in March 2025, and as she recovered, she turned to help others in her community who had also lived and suffered under the siege.

As she was collecting food for her family from a communal kitchen – a meagre two spoons of lentils – the woman running the kitchen found out she was a journalist and encouraged her to post online about the conditions families in the city were living in.

She soon became a volunteer at the kitchen herself and documented the impact of the war on women and children in videos that went viral online – in effect raising awareness and support for those in need in Sudan.

“I feel like I am a warrior on the frontlines,” she says.

Women ‘first to suffer’ in El Fasher

Hundreds of miles away in the southwest of Khartoum, the city of El Fasher was also besieged by the RSF in October 2025.

Amna Mohamed*, the President of a women-led and UN-supported organization that provides meals and financial support to women in need in North Darfur, stayed in the city to continue helping her community.

Many were unable to flee – notably those who were caring for elderly relatives, persons with disabilities or other dependents who were unable to travel, and those who did not have the money to hire a donkey or other mode of transportation to leave.

All endure severe food shortages, soaring prices, lack of healthcare and bombardments, but Mohamed stressed that “women were the first to suffer”.

“They may beat or rape you, and sometimes they loot your belongings. Sometimes they demand that you leave your home; they may kill your husband or brothers right before your eyes, or they may take your daughters right in front of you and lead them away to unknown locations,” she said.

“Our relationship with women is direct and close, and as women-led organizations, we are best positioned to serve them; we understand their needs. However, when it comes to funding, projects sometimes go to organizations led by men,” she explained.

Psychological scars

Back in Khartoum, thousands of women are returning after being displaced for years across Sudan and in neighbouring countries.

Yet for many, while the end of one difficult chapter, coming home is only the start of another.

Many are dealing with trauma from the early stages of the war and from their displacement, and they have come back to looted houses, stripped of everything they owned – even doors and windows.

“After they returned home, women came back with nothing in their hands, they lost everything”, explains Israa Hamid Khalil, a psychological support officer at the UN Women-supported East Nile Women’s Empowerment Centre in the capital city.

The centre offers counselling and psychological care, as well as training and livelihood support to enable them to earn an income and support their families.

“Women returned to the place where they had experienced those painful memories and traumas. They can’t just stay at home and keep reliving those things.

“We now address this challenge: How can we help them overcome this stage and begin their journey of psychological recovery?” said Ms. Khalil.

*name changed to protect her identity