SIHA Network
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SIHA Network is a coalition of civil society organisations in the Horn of Africa advocating for social change and gender equality for men and women.
The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) is a network of civil society organizations from Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Somaliland, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Uganda, and, most recently, the coastal area of Kenya. Established in 1995 by a coalition of women’s rights activists with the aim of strengthening the capacities of women’s rights organizations and addressing women’s
12/05/2026
🔴 When women activists are silenced, the entire movement is silenced.
Fifteen organisations across have come together to demand justice for Ms. Sadia Moalim Ali, a social activist detained in since 12 April 2026 for her peaceful civic engagement on the ground.
Signatories include: Nagaad Network, SWAA, SWDC, Somali Women Vision, Witness Somalia and SIHA Network among others.
We demand her immediate release and the overall protection of women human rights defenders advancing justice in Somalia.
Read the full statement: [https://sihanet.org/joint-statement-by-womens-rights-organizations-in-somalia-on-the-arbitrary-detention-of-ms-sadia-moalim-ali/]
12/05/2026
Join us today at the Session of the for our panel titled: From Survival to Structural Change - Solidifying the Path to Justice and Accountability for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in the Horn of
🗓️ May 12, 2026
⏰ 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM (GMT)
📍Press Room 2, Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara
International Conference Center, Banjul, The Gambia
This session will explore urgent pathways toward justice and accountability, moving beyond immediate responses to long-term structural change.
Don’t miss this critical conversation.
11/05/2026
📢 Happening tomorrow
Our panel at the 87th Session of the titled:
From Survival to Structural Change: Solidifying the Path to Justice and Accountability for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in the Horn of Africa
🗓️ May 12, 2026
⏰ 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM (GMT)
📍Press Room 2, Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara
International Conference Center, Banjul, The Gambia
This session will unpack the urgent need to move beyond immediate responses to conflict-related sexual violence, toward long-term, structural pathways for and in the Horn of . From survivor-centered approaches to systemic reform, the discussion will explore how meaningful change can be sustained in contexts marked by ongoing conflict, impunity, and fragility.
Be part of this timely discussion and share with your networks.
08/05/2026
📢 Happening TODAY: our panel at the NGO Forum, Session of the ACHPR titled: Beyond Ceasefires - Countering Backlash Through Feminist Approaches to Peace and Justice
🗓️ Today, May 8, 2026
⏰ 9:00am - 10:00am (GMT)
Join us as we examine how feminist approaches can challenge backlash, sustain community-led peace efforts, and keep justice and accountability at the center of peace processes.
🔴 Don’t miss it, join the conversation!
07/05/2026
Join us for our panel at the NGO Forum, Session of the ACHPR titled: Beyond Ceasefires - Countering Backlash Through Feminist Approaches to Peace and Justice
🗓️ May 8, 2026
⏰ 9:00am - 10:00am (GMT)
This conversation will explore what inclusive, community-centered peacebuilding truly requires, from justice and accountability to the leadership of women and grassroots movements amid the repression of gender, conflict and climate insecurity.
Join the conversation and bring a colleague along.
07/05/2026
🚨 SIHA Network demands the immediate and unconditional release of Najwa Musa Kaunda, a Sudanese activist and long-standing advocate for women’s rights from the Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan, who has been arbitrarily detained since April 1st, 2026, by SPLM-N Al-Hilu, part of the RSF-led Tasis coalition, in Kauda town.
Najwa has not been seen since her detention, and her family has raised serious concerns over her deteriorating health condition.
Please read the full statement here: https://sihanet.org/urgent-appeal-we-demand-the-immediate-release-of-sudanese-womens-peace-leader-najwa-musa-kaunda/
06/05/2026
We are showing up at the African Commission Sessions, and we are bringing grassroot voices to the conversation.
SIHA Network | May 8 to 12
Side events on the issues that matter most:
🟢 Peacebuilding that outlasts ceasefires
🟢 Violence against women and girls
🟢 Justice and accountability in conflict settings
🟢 The role of grassroots movements in shaping change
Full details coming soon. Stay close.
05/05/2026
“Sexual violence is one of the worst forms of political violence. It not only strips individuals of dignity, but entire communities of their agency... it is meant to crush the spirit,” says Hala Al Karib, SIHA Network Regional Director, during an interview with Yassmin Abdel-Magied for Prospect Magazine.
Here, Hala reflects on at the three-year mark of war, her upbringing in Wad Madani, her years of organizing against dictatorship, and the forces that shaped her feminist vision.
As violence and impunity escalate, Hala speaks with urgency about accountability, survival, and the collective memory a nation is being forced to carry.
To read the full interview: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/views/people/73146/hala-al-karib-sexual-violence-is-meant-to-crush-the-spirit-sudan-war
🔴 OUT NOW:
SIHA Network presents "The Henna Tree," a documentary in collaboration with Ayin Sudan, dedicated to women and girls who survived war atrocities in Al-Gezira State.
The short film explores the lived realities of women and girls, and their experiences living under RSF control for one year, between December 2023 to January 2025. It also highlights the attempts of women survivors to find healing and normalcy through a return to education under difficult and unpredictable circumstances.
Watch the entire film here: https://youtu.be/4EQ8kdNWMaA?si=yZC4roNisnZ5z_p8
In Al-Gezira State, , the impact of the war has gone far beyond immediate violence. After the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took control of the state, civilians were subjected to a wide range of violations, including systematic sexual violence against women and girls. These violations have left deep and lasting marks on everyday life, and on girls’ ability to remain in school.
In this new documentary by SIHA Network, produced in collaboration with Ayin Network, “The Henna Tree” examines the impact of the war on girls’ education, and what it means to hold on to learning in a context shaped by insecurity, deteriorating school conditions, and the economic, psychological, and social pressures imposed by war.
Drawing on the lived experiences of families and girls from Al-Gezira, the documentary explores the return to education as part of a broader process of recovery, and reflects on the barriers that continue to stand in the way of many girls returning to school.
Stay tuned for this critical documentary which will be officially launched on our Youtube Channel and across all our social media platforms this Sunday, April 26!
12/04/2026
🚨 Girls’ Education Under Fire: An Urgent Appeal to Support Girls' Education in Sudan
Tomorrow, thousands of girls will sit for the Sudanese Secondary School Certificate Examinations, but many will be unable to do so primarily because they are being caught up in conflict areas, blocked by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), or because of financial difficulties and the continued absence of support for education in . On the other hand, hundreds of girls have endured trauma and hardship as they seek access to education under extremely dangerous circumstances.
Throughout Sudan war years, access to education has sharply declined, particularly girls' education, transforming what should be a basic right into a journey shaped by fear, displacement, and violence. For many girls, the struggle to continue their education has unfolded amid grave violations, including sexual violence and exploitation, with devastating and lasting consequences.
In the past two weeks, more than 1800 students have arrived in Atbara City, River Nile State, from , while over 300 girls from rural have reached El-Obied city of North Kordofan. Some girls travelled 700 km and faced theft, intimidation, and violence along the route, while others were threatened with detention by the RSF if they were caught taking the national exams. Thousands of girls could not reach the exam centres at all due to these threats and the extreme dangers along the transportation routes.
SIHA Network calls for urgent and collective coordinated actions by the warning parties across Sudan to enable students to access education.
The Sudan Ministry of Education and international humanitarian actors must collaborate to ensure safe passages for students, expand protection and emergency support for girls' education, and guarantee students access to psychosocial care and other forms of urgent support.
The continued obstruction of girls’ access to education through threats, intimidation, and violence must be treated as a grave protection failure for civilians and children and as part of the sequence of atrocities shaping the war in Sudan.
Today, we stand in solidarity with Sudanese students asserting their right to education and urgently call for action to ensure their safe and dignified access.
📸 Photo Credit: Ayin Network
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