Duchess of Edinburgh says women are key to rebuilding and peace amid brutal civil war
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh has highlighted the desperate plight of the survivors of Sudan’s civil war, as the bloody conflict passes 1,000 days in a “stark and terrible milestone”
Sophie meets refugees crossing the border from Sudan into Chad to escape the war(Image: PA)
The Duchess of Edinburgh has told how women are central to rebuilding and peacekeeping in conflict zones ravaged by war.
As 1,000 days of the brutal civil war in Sudan has passed, resulting in a severe humanitarian crisis where more than one in three people are in urgent need of assistance, Sophie spoke of her hope for future generations affected by the conflict.
The Duchess, who has previously traveled to the Chad-Sudan border to witness firsthand the impact of the conflict and met with young women and girls supported by Plan International UK, said the people need urgent help.
She said: “As the world embarks on a new year, we are met with a stark and terrible milestone: 1,000 days of conflict in Sudan. During that time, it has become the world’s most severe humanitarian crisis. It is a moment that should make us stop and reflect, not only due to the scale of the suffering, but because this crisis has unfolded with so little global attention.”
Sophie chats to several female refugees and saw work carried out by UNICEF in 2024(Image: PA)
Conflict has driven the collapse of livelihoods and services, with an estimated 70 to 80 per cent of hospitals and health facilities affected and non-operational, leaving roughly 65 per cent of the population without access to healthcare.
Sudan is also in the midst of the world’s largest food crisis, with close to 21.2 million people facing high levels of acute food insecurity. Displaced people are forced into more precarious conditions in unsafe settlements, experiencing overcrowding or living in makeshift shelters, hunger and disease outbreaks, requiring higher needs which are harder to meet with reduced funding.
The Duchess, 61, speaking to The Telegraph added: “On my visit to Adré transit camp, I heard stories of profound loss and resilience – young children whose entire families had been killed in the most indescribable ways, mothers who had witnessed the murder of their husbands and sons, and women who had suffered sexual exploitation in exchange for food and water.
“Their deeply personal and shocking accounts reflected the experiences of so many. Their eyes telling tales of horrors no one should ever see; bodies piled up like a wall, families drowned at gunpoint, children carved in two, women raped and beaten. Those who can escape, live in fear of being killed later.
“Yet even in such desperate circumstances, what stayed with me most was the extraordinary strength I witnessed. I met women who had fled the conflict now caring for children separated from their families. Their resilience and quiet leadership reminded me of what I have witnessed time and again – that women are central not only to surviving crises, but to rebuilding and striving for lasting peace. When they are supported and empowered, whole communities are better able to recover.”
Sharp cuts in foreign assistance have further weakened humanitarian operations, stripping funding from essential programmes, meaning people won’t have enough to eat and feed their families, have access to basic healthcare, clean water and sanitation, or a safe place to live, with a heightened risk of gender based violence.
As part of her role as a senior member of the royal family, the Duchess has made it her mission to highlight the plight of those affected by conflict and especially gender based sexual violence across the world.
Sophie said: “As a champion for the Women, Peace and Security agenda at home and abroad, I have witnessed the dedication and compassion of the international community, but we urgently need to help end this devastating conflict in order to save lives and allow Sudanese families to return to rebuild their futures in safety.
“We cannot change the past 1,000 days, but this sobering milestone reminds us of the opportunity for organisations working tirelessly on the ground to shape what happens next. By standing alongside these remarkable individuals, including female peace-builders and women-led organisations, we can help ensure that the voices and needs of those affected by the conflict are heard and valued. Their courage is a powerful reminder that even in the most difficult circumstances, hope can endure.”
Sophie became the first royal to make an official visit to Chad in 2024(Image: PA)
Earlier this month, 13 of the UK’s leading aid agencies have united to call on the UK government to act now to prevent further catastrophe in Sudan.
Samy Guissebi, Country Director for Action Against Hunger in Sudan, said: “Sudan cannot be allowed to fade into another forgotten crisis, worse, a neglected one. The scale of suffering is immense, and we have witnessed the exhaustion and fear etched into the faces of people arriving in search of food, shelter and safety.
“All parties must respect humanitarian law and guarantee sustained access to those enduring this conflict. Those delivering lifesaving support are working under extreme conditions and we urge donors to provide sufficient funding to expand our work and back local responders. We cannot do this alone.”
Mohamed Kamal, Country Director for global children’s charity Plan International Sudan said: “The situation on the ground is unimaginable. Our staff are meeting families who have not been able to regularly access food for over a year. It’s been hardest for women, children and people with disabilities, many of whom are suffering from severe hunger and exhaustion when they arrive at displacement camps.
“Despite severe constraints, Plan International is working tirelessly to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance, including in the hardest-to-reach areas of North Darfur, which has seen some of the very worst of the fighting. We are once again calling for a drastic upscaling in humanitarian funding from the international community – and unfettered access for aid to enter all parts of Sudan. The lives of thousands of children depend on it.”
