Original Date: April 20, 2026
War and Women in Sudan and Darfur: Vulnerabilities, Agency and Aspirations for Peace and Justice talk sheds light on the social and political background of the war in Sudan since its outbreak on April 15, 2023. It explains the political economy of the war and its devastating effects on the population, including the accompanying human rights violations and its disproportionate impact on women and girls. The talk highlights that, despite their extreme vulnerability, women survivors have mustered their remaining strength and worked to bolster their resilience in the face of ongoing violations by standing in solidarity with each other and with community. As individuals, activists, and organizations, they are providing food and water to their impoverished communities, offering psychological support, documenting atrocities, and advocating for a ceasefire and an end to the war. They have also consistently demanded their effective participation in mediation and negotiation processes under the auspices of the United Nations, as well as their involvement in the management of humanitarian aid.
About Suad Mustafa Elhag Musa
Suad Mustafa Elhag Musa holds a Ph.D. in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford, England. She is a feminist researcher and author of Hawks and Doves in Sudan’s Armed Conflict: Al-Hakkamat Baggara Women of Darfur (James Currey, 2018, winner of the 2019 Aidoo-Snyder Prize of the African Studies Association). Suad Mustafa Elhag Musa, Ph.D., is an expert on gender, peacebuilding, women’s political participation, women’s security and protection, democratic governance, community development, and humanitarian issues. She is an associate fellow at the Horn International Institute for Strategic Studies in Nairobi and has worked with civil society organizations and international organizations, such as Oxfam, both inside and outside Sudan. She also served as an assistant professor at Qatar University. Since the outbreak of war in Sudan on April 15, 2024, she has participated in numerous dialogues, conferences, and workshops on ending the war, peace, reconciliation and women’s inclusion and effective participation in ceasefire processes, peace mediation and negotiations, and the post-conflict democratic transition. She is the founder and director of the Gender Centre for Peacebuilding, Justice, and Sustainable Development in El Fasher, Darfur, Sudan.