The Duchess of Edinburgh has delivered a powerful appeal for the world to turn its attention to Sudan, as the devastating conflict reaches a grim milestone of 1,000 days.
In a piece written for The Telegraph, the royal described the crisis as "the world's most severe humanitarian crisis" and urged global reflection on the scale of suffering that has unfolded largely unnoticed.
"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 wrote.
The Duchess emphasised that this moment demands pause and consideration, not merely because of the immense suffering involved, but because the catastrophe has developed with remarkably little international scrutiny.
The Duchess of Edinburgh during a visit to Chad in central Africa where she met refugees crossing the border from Sudan to escape the eighteen month civil war.
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Sophie recounted her experience standing at Sudan's border approximately a year ago, observing an endless procession of exhausted people making their way into Chad on foot or in donkey-drawn carts.
"In the calm of that moment, I shuddered to imagine what these exhausted, traumatised people had experienced and seen, having fled their towns and the brutality of raging militias," she wrote.
Sophie noted that those who reached the Chadian border town of Adré were fortunate, having found relative safety where local residents and aid organisations provided essential supplies including food, water and shelter.
The influx of refugees has transformed Adré dramatically, with its population surging from 40,000 to more than 200,000 as Sudanese civilians have escaped the violence engulfing their homeland.
The Duchess whose visits marks the first by a member of the Royal family spoke to victims of conflict related sexual violence and saw work carried out by UNICEF.
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During her visit to the Adré transit camp, the Duchess heard devastating testimonies of loss and survival from those who had fled the violence.
She encountered young children whose entire families had been slaughtered, mothers who had witnessed their husbands and sons being killed, and women forced into sexual exploitation simply to obtain food and water.
The Duchess observed that even those who manage to escape continue living in terror of being killed.
She emphasised that emergency aid alone cannot adequately address the enormity of the situation, as humanitarian agencies are stretched beyond their capacity in attempting to support overwhelming numbers of displaced people.
The Duchess called for urgent action to end the conflict, enabling Sudanese families to return home and rebuild their lives in safety.
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The Duchess called for urgent action to end the conflict, enabling Sudanese families to return home and rebuild their lives in safety.
She highlighted the critical need for girls whose schooling has been disrupted to resume their education, and for survivors of sexual violence to receive healthcare, safe spaces and support to restore their dignity.
"These are not luxuries; they are basic human requirements," she wrote.
As a champion of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, the Duchess praised the resilience of women-led organisations and female peace-builders working on the ground.
She concluded with a message of solidarity: "The people of Sudan deserve our compassion, our attention, and our solidarity. Above all, they deserve to know that the world has not forgotten them and that the pursuit of peace remains possible."
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