April 15th, 2026
This April marks three years since the onset of the current war in Sudan. The Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW) expresses grave concerns regarding the situation in Sudan, and we extend our deepest solidarity with the Sudanese community in Canada, in Sudan, and all over the world.
On April 15th, 2023, fighting broke out in the capital city of Khartoum between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF). Since then, this war has devastated every aspect of life for those in Sudan and has had a profound impact on the Sudanese diaspora worldwide. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost, thousands disabled, and over 14 million people displaced, making it the largest displacement and humanitarian crisis in the world. The humanitarian situation has been extremely dire, with more than 21 million people facing high levels of acute food insecurity and a stage-five (famine) level in more than 20 areas, as declared by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). Despite the severity of the crisis, funding remains critically insufficient. Organizations such as UNHCR have secured only 16% of the $2.8 billion required for operations within Sudan, and just 8% of the $1.6 billion needed to support refugees across the region. Civilian-led Sudanese frontline volunteer efforts are what have been sustaining life throughout this war, under very little support and the utmost risk, with groups like the Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Many characterize the situation as a “war on women’s bodies,” disproportionately impacting Sudanese women. Sexual and gender-based violence has been pervasive and systematic, including rape employed as a weapon of war, while access to healthcare and protective services has significantly deteriorated. Women and girls, constituting a substantial segment of the displaced population, are more prone to acute hunger, with female-headed households encountering increased food insecurity and economic difficulties.
At the same time, Sudanese women are not only victims of the crisis but also central to community survival. Across the country and in displacement, women-led networks, mutual aid groups, and feminist collectives have been building lifelines, organizing food distribution, care systems, and grassroots responses in the absence of state support. Despite facing violence, displacement, and systemic neglect, Sudanese women continue to lead efforts of resistance, solidarity, and care, sustaining their communities under extraordinary conditions.
Sudan is a country that has been described as the ‘breadbasket of the world.’ It is a country that is rich in resources such as gold, agricultural land, uranium, and others, and it has resilient people who have led several uprisings that toppled brutal dictatorships. The current war has been described as a counterrevolutionary war and a proxy war, with legacies of colonialism and imperialism intertwined. Several foreign actors, including the United Arab Emirates, have been reported to be involved in the war, resourcing the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a militia that has committed mass atrocities across Sudan and particularly in the Darfur region. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have also reportedly used Canadian weapons in the massacres they committed in El Fasher.
We encourage our community to support Sudanese-led initiatives, stay informed, and remain actively engaged. We also seek to uplift the voices of Sudanese communities across Canada who continue to navigate immense challenges in their efforts to reunite with family members displaced from Sudan. We call on Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to urgently expedite pending applications under family reunification and refugee resettlement programs. We will be sharing details of an upcoming workshop to deepen understanding of the crisis, and we invite you to explore the resources below and contribute to the organizations highlighted.
References & more resources:
There is something that I want to tell you_ Surviving Sudan sexual violence crisis in Darfur.pdf
What it Takes to Eat : Conflict and Sudan’s Fragile Food System
Tracking Sudan’s humanitarian crisis: By the numbers | Sudan war News | Al Jazeera
IPC_Sudan_Acute_Food_Insecurity_Sep2025_May2026_Special_Snapshot.pdf
Three years on, war-weary Sudanese remain on the move | UNHCR
How Sudanese Women Are Building Lifelines From the Ashes Of War – ZNetwork
SIHA CRSV Annual Report Draft2
Unseen Frontlines: Narratives on Sudanese Women in War – E-International Relations
Khartoum’s Women Street Vendor Cooperatives and the Politics of Care – MERIP
New Investigation Links Sudan’s RSF Leader to Property Holdings in the UAE – The Sentry
Why is the UAE involved in Sudan’s bloody civil war? | Middle East Eye
Sudanese fighters accused of massacres use Canadian-made rifles | CBC News
The Struggle for Sudan – MERIP
In Sudan, the People’s Revolution Versus the Elite’s Counterrevolution
The Ongoing Fight for Freedom, Peace, and Justice in Sudan
Atar Magazine | Sudan in Perspective – أتر
Ayin network – شبكة عاين – Media for a new Sudan – الحاصل في سودانا بالصوت والصورة
Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa | SIHA
Sudan’s remarkable mutual-aid groups
To donate:
Darfur Women’s Action Group (DWAG)
Displacement & Health Relief Network (DHRN)
