One thousand days of war in Sudan have left a nation in ruins. Families uprooted, communities starved, and basic systems of life destroyed are not the incidental costs of conflict—they are the direct result of deliberate military campaigns and external interference.

Women Journalists Without Chains holds the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their foreign backers, led by the United Arab Emirates, responsible for a humanitarian catastrophe of unprecedented scale. Sieges, road blockages, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and attacks on markets and food supplies have weaponized hunger and terrorized entire regions.

The numbers are staggering: over 21 million people face acute food insecurity, 9.3 million are internally displaced, and more than 4.3 million have fled to neighboring countries, straining fragile host communities. In Darfur and Kordofan, drone and rocket strikes routinely target civilians far from the frontlines. UNICEF reports nearly 5,000 children displaced daily since April 2023, many uprooted multiple times as violence relentlessly follows them.

Women and girls are disproportionately affected. UN Women and OCHA estimate 12 million at risk of gender-based violence, with female-headed households three times more likely to suffer food insecurity. These figures expose a deliberate erosion of Sudan’s social fabric and the grim prospects for future generations.

The RSF’s campaigns, funded and armed by the UAE through the exploitation of Sudanese resources, particularly gold, have prolonged the war, deepened famine, and destroyed livelihoods. Field testimonies, independent investigations, and international reports corroborate this chain of accountability, yet impunity persists.

International inaction compounds the crisis. Only 36% of last year’s $4.2 billion humanitarian appeal was funded, forcing OCHA to scale back programs for 34 million people in urgent need. Expressions of concern without sanctions, enforcement, or halting of resource plunder render global justice meaningless.

Women Journalists Without Chains calls on the United Nations, the Security Council, the European Union, the African Union, and the broader international community to act decisively:
•    Impose immediate sanctions on all entities financing and arming the RSF, especially the UAE;
•    End the looting of Sudanese resources and halt war funding;
•    Ensure safe and unconditional humanitarian access across all affected regions;
•    Prioritize protection of women, girls, and children;
•    Support local and women-led organizations sustaining survival and resilience efforts.

The thousandth day of war must not pass as a statistic. It must mark a turning point for accountability. Silence and inaction prolong suffering, trap Sudan in cycles of famine and displacement, and allow external actors to profit while millions of civilians—especially women and children—pay the ultimate price.

Issued by:
Women Journalists Without Chains
January 10, 2026