Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh drew attention to the Sudan war surpassing the 1,000-day mark in a powerful new essay.
The civil war in Sudan marked 1,000 days of fighting on Friday, Jan. 9, and the Duchess of Edinburgh, 60, published a rare essay in The Telegraph titled “The world is ignoring the Sudan war,” timed to that turning point.
Sophie — who is married to King Charles‘ youngest brother, Prince Edward — has made the disproportionate impact of conflict on women and girls a focus of her royal work.
“Standing on the border of Sudan a year ago, I watched a countless stream of people making their way on foot or by donkey-drawn carts into neighboring Chad. Some traveled with families, but others were alone,” she began. “In the calm of that moment, I shuddered to imagine what these exhausted, traumatized people had experienced and seen, having fled their towns and the brutality of raging militias.”
Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh in Chad on Oct. 13, 2024.
Alamy
The Duchess of Edinburgh recounted her October 2024 trip to Adré, a town in Chad near its border with Sudan, to witness the impact of the conflict firsthand. Over 150,000 people have died in the conflict that began in April 2023, the BBC reported, and the United Nations said the war has created “the world’s biggest hunger crisis and largest displacement emergency.” Over 9.3 million people have been uprooted, and 4.3 million have left its borders.
During her visit to the Adré transit camp, Sophie wrote that she 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.”Â
“As the world embarks on a new year, we are met with a stark and terrible milestone: 1,000 days of conflict in Sudan,” she continued. “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, the Duchess of Edinburgh meets a family crossing the border from Sudan into Chad at Adre on Oct. 13, 2024.
Alamy
The Duchess of Edinburgh wrote that what brought her hope was the “extraordinary strength” she saw on the ground there, such as the women refugees she met who are now caring for children who have been 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,” added Sophie, a passionate advocate for the powerful role women play in building peace.Â
Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh in Chad on Oct. 13, 2024.
Alamy
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The royal family’s website describes the Duchess of Edinburgh as a “global champion” for the United Nations’ Women, Peace and Security Agenda, and a supporter of the United Kingdom’s Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative, which she referenced in shaping her perspective of the turmoil now.Â
“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,” Sophie wrote. “We cannot change the past 1,000 days, but this sobering milestone reminds us of the opportunity for organizations working tirelessly on the ground to shape what happens next.”
Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh in Chad on Oct. 13, 2024.
Alamy
The Duchess of Edinburgh became the first member of the British royal family to officially visit Chad when she traveled there in 2024. It followed similar trips she has made to Kosovo, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to support survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.