WSF Parliamentary Roundtable: Sudan at a Turning Point: Humanitarian Emergency and the Urgent Call to End the War and Protect Women and Girls, 9 February 2026
On 9 February, the Women for a Sustainable Future (WSF) Network, in partnership with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), convened a parliamentary roundtable in the House of Lords addressing the gendered impact of the conflict in Sudan and the UK government’s policy response.
Sudanese panellists, Ibtisam El Doma and Aisha Hamad, based in Sudan and Ethiopia, respectively, alongside Dr Eva Khair and Peter Oborne, led the discussion. Participants included cross-party parliamentarians from Westminster, the Northern Ireland Assembly, and the Seanad Éireann, including Senator Fiona O'Loughlin, Fianna Fáil Leader in the Seanad, Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Head of the Irish Delegation to the Council of Europe; diplomats and representatives from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the United Nations, including John Ging, Senior Advisor to Emergency Relief Coordinator for Middle East and North Africa; journalists, academics, and civil society actors, as well as parliamentarians, diplomats, and civil society leaders from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, and Sudan, who participated online.
The meeting took place five days after Yvette Cooper, UK Foreign Secretary, announced £20 million in new funding for Sudanese women affected by conflict-related sexual violence. It provided a timely forum for parliamentarians to engage directly with women civil society leaders delivering frontline community assistance, helping to inform understanding of needs on the ground and how such support could be effectively implemented.
Discussions focused on protecting civilians, ensuring women’s meaningful participation in negotiations, and promoting an inclusive political settlement to end the war. Participants also highlighted the escalating humanitarian crisis. More than 4.3 million people have sought refuge in neighbouring countries, with millions more displaced internally. Humanitarian aid access remains limited, famine, poverty, and diseases are widespread, and women and children face arbitrary detention in inhumane conditions.
Key Recommendations
Sustained support for locally led humanitarian response. Continued UK assistance is essential, particularly for Sudanese women’s organisations and community-based initiatives, including emergency response rooms delivering critical aid and protection.
Renewed diplomatic pressure to end the war. Given the conflict’s international dimension, the UK government should intensify diplomatic engagement with all external actors involved. The government should urge these actors to end the provision of weapons, drones, financing, and political support to the Rapid Support Forces, the Sudanese Armed Forces, and other armed groups.
Ensure women and youth are central to peace processes. Sudanese women are already leading humanitarian efforts; their meaningful participation must be guaranteed in peace negotiations and decision-making forums, alongside youth.