Two young Sudanese peacebuilders speak to UN Women about what it has been like to live through conflict – and to help shape the country’s path toward healing, resilience, and peace.
In Sudan, conflict has uprooted millions and left families searching for safety. Women are among those most affected by the conflict – while also among those responding to its impacts.
“Words alone are not enough”, 27-year-old Eshtiyag Ali tells UN Women. “But action and strength can bring about real change.”
Across displacement camps, host communities, and fragile local networks, women are helping survivors heal – linking them to services, sharing life-saving information, and working to build peace from the ground up.
The stories of two young women, Ali and Majeeda Al Nour, also 27, show the human cost of war. But they also show the courage and leadership of Sudanese women who are turning pain into purpose, with support from UN women and its partners.
A life turned upside down
Before the war, Eshtiyag Ali lived an ordinary life in Khartoum. As a grassroots activist, she volunteered in community projects and local campaigns for women’s rights and equality.
But as fighting engulfed the capital in April 2023, so did fear and uncertainty.
For two weeks, she awoke to the sound of gunfire. As violence intensified, her family made the difficult decision to flee in search of safety. The journey separated them at a time when they needed each other most. While Ali and her brothers headed to White Nile State, her father travelled separately to relatives in Al Jazirah State.
“We couldn’t stay longer. We were scared”, Ali says.
The conflict would soon bring another devastating blow. Ali’s father fell seriously ill. During his treatment, the hospital in Al Jazirah State came under attack and as patients were left without adequate care, he fell into a coma. Desperate to reach him, Ali attempted the journey from White Nile State, only to discover that the area had been placed under siege.
Travel was impossible. Her father died before she could say goodbye.
“I wanted to be a strong heroine, but the conflict turned my world upside down. I lost my father, my normal life, and became a displaced person.”
Finding strength within displacement
Before the conflict reached her village in eastern Al Jazira State, Majeeda Al Nour had completed her university studies and was preparing to pursue a master’s degree in art. In December 2023, her dreams were interrupted when violence forced her family to flee their home. The journey to safety was harrowing.
“The fear and painful memories are unforgettable”, Al Nour says. “I left my home with my family and walked for two nights in search of a safe place to hide. During that journey, I witnessed horrors, including the death of my brother, and endured humiliation. I saw and heard the cries of sick women, girls, and older persons.”
Like thousands of Sudanese women, she became internally displaced. She spent five months in a camp in River Nile State.
Arriving at the displacement camp brought physical safety, but no relief from the trauma. Surrounded by hundreds of displaced women and girls, Al Nour encountered countless stories of loss, violence, and hardship.
But instead of withdrawing into her own grief, she chose to support others.
“As a woman, I experienced the same fear and stress. Therefore, I saw it as my role to stand with and support women and girls.”
She began organising informal conversations, creating spaces where women could share their experiences and encourage one another.
“We sat together, shared our stories, and, most importantly, encouraged one another to confront our inner fears, grow stronger, and find our voices.”
From survivors to changemakers
In White Nile State, Ali continued her work as a women’s rights activist despite the hardship she had endured.
Through UN Women Women’s Leadership Empowerment Programme, she learned about the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. The programme strengthened her understanding of women’s critical roles in mediation, negotiation, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding.
“The training equipped me with knowledge and tools that will assist me in facilitating mediation and negotiation sessions in my community and becoming a peacebuilder”, Ali explains.
Today, she is determined to pass that knowledge on to others.
“I will transfer the knowledge and skills I gained to my peers so that all of us can play great roles in peacebuilding”, she says.
For Al Nour, a chance encounter opened the door to an unexpected leadership role. While living in the displacement camp, she met Mariam Adam, the head of El Ruhama for Development and Humanitarian Aid, a local community-based organisation and UN Women’s implementing partner.
“I was impressed by her skills and willingness to support survivors of gender-based violence”, Adam recalls. “She successfully linked many women to service providers for treatment.”
Seeing her potential, the organisation appointed Al Nour to coordinate one of its UN Women-supported projects. Today, she leads community outreach efforts.
UN Women and our partners are supporting women to lead recovery and peacebuilding
The stories of Ali and Al Nour reflect a broader reality across Sudan. Millions of women continue to face displacement and insecurity – their voices often going unheard. Yet many are also playing a critical role in strengthening community resilience, supporting survivors, mediating local conflicts, and advocating for peace.
Through support from partners, including the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), UN Women is working with women’s organisations and community groups across Sudan to strengthen women’s leadership, peacebuilding capacities, psychosocial support services, and economic empowerment opportunities.
These efforts equip women with the skills, networks, and confidence needed to respond to the needs of their communities and contribute to recovery and peacebuilding during one of the country’s most challenging periods.
Ali and Al Nour have emerged as powerful examples of Sudanese women’s resilience and leadership – showing that even in the darkest circumstances, hope, agency, and change can take root.
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