The Impact of War on Sudanese Women in the Faisal Neighborhood of Cairo
Rasha Ahmed Hassan El Fanjary
The Impact of War on Sudanese Women in the Faisal Neighborhood of Cairo 1
When war broke out in Sudan on April 15, 2023, many families saw no safe way to remain. After the Rapid Support Forces attacked Madani, thousands left Khartoum and headed toward Egypt. Among the neighborhoods in Cairo that received these displaced families is Faisal, long known for its Sudanese community.
I chose Faisal for this study because it is not only home to a large number of Sudanese but also because it has become a place where women, many of them without husbands or brothers are rebuilding families, supporting each other, and facing new legal and economic challenges.
My own journey with Sudanese women began back home, where I worked with women’s groups across different states. I have long been engaged as an activist, supporting grassroots initiatives, facilitating workshops, and amplifying women’s voices in community forums. In Cairo, I found these groups working in new, improvised forms. Registration and funding restrictions pushed many to act as initiatives rather than formal organizations. In Faisal, this meant volunteerism, solidarity, and leadership emerging from below. Being part of these efforts, sometimes volunteering, sometimes serving on committees, gave me a front-row view of women’s resilience in displacement.
Methodology
This study relied on a qualitative research approach to explore the lived experiences of displaced Sudanese women currently residing in Faisal, Egypt. A combination of in-depth interviews, questionnaires, sampling, and participant selection was used. The study included 40 Sudanese women, aged 18–65, displaced by conflict in Sudan. Participants were selected using a purposive sampling method, based on criteria such as displacement status, willingness to participate, diversity in age, education level, and displacement experiences.
Separation and the Burden of Decisions
Displacement has torn apart the extended family structures that women in Sudan relied on. For many Sudanese women, this separation has not only disrupted emotional bonds but also interrupted essential daily support.
Salma, a young medical graduate, told me:
“Months go by without hearing from my family, who are scattered across Sudan. Not being able to speak to them regularly has had a huge psychological impact.”
Abeer, who came to Cairo to receive medical care for her son’s mental illness, described how she relied on her extended family in Sudan to care for him while she pursued her education.
“Without my family, everything is harder emotionally and practically,” she explained.
The shift in communication patterns has also represented a significant change. With many families scattered and some areas in Sudan facing internet outages or complete lack of access, digital platforms have become a lifeline. Social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and other channels have helped displaced women in Cairo maintain connections however tenuous with loved ones across the diaspora.
During the two-month internet blackout following the outbreak of war, these connections were largely severed. Nahed, a mother of three, recalled having to make important family decisions on her own:
“A young man proposed to my 20-year-old daughter. Her father was still in Sudan and unreachable. So, I had to make a decision, and I went ahead with the marriage.”
She added:
“I also applied for asylum to protect myself and my children, something I never imagined doing on my own. In Khartoum, I couldn’t even visit my mother without my husband’s permission.”
These shifts in responsibilities also reflect a broader redefinition of gender roles. While traditionally viewed as caregivers within extended families, many Sudanese women in Cairo have been forced to assume the roles of heads of households and breadwinners, often for the first time. This change has brought a mix of empowerment and stress.
Work, Survival, and Risks
Noha, a 40-year-old woman, recounted how her entire extended family lived together while her husband worked in mining. After their displacement, she found herself alone with the children in Cairo.
“I was forced to work as a domestic worker after banks in Sudan stopped operating. One day, I was harassed and had to file a police report. I was terrified, but I had no choice. I had to protect myself and my children”, she added.
For young girls, displacement sometimes meant early entry into the labor market under unsafe conditions. Lamia, 16, fled her village at the hands of her father after a member of the Rapid Support Forces attempted to force her into marriage.
“He sent me to Cairo with my aunt, and when they found out, they expelled my entire family,” she said.
In Cairo, Lamia began working in cafés and food stalls to support her family. When her aunt refused to work, Lamia made the difficult decision to move out and live independently with other young girls.
The economic pressure caused by displacement has also increased reliance on remittances from relatives abroad. However, these remittances are often irregular or insufficient, leaving women with a greater financial burden. Expectations within the family are also changing women are now expected not only to manage household affairs but also to contribute financially, regardless of their legal status, employment choices, or personal circumstances.
Nariman mentioned that she opened a restaurant because remittances were delayed and she had to live with a group of girls to minimize her spending.
Another example is Khamisah, 22 years old, who works tirelessly to feed her four children after her husband disappeared during the conflict. She sells homemade bread in Faisal’s alleys every morning before cleaning apartments in the evening. Her story reflects both the heavy burdens and the strength of young displaced mothers.
From tea sellers on street corners to home-based cooks running delivery services via WhatsApp, women in Faisal are reshaping the economic landscape of the neighborhood.
Relationships: From Traditional Caregivers to Community Pillars
Displacement has significantly reshaped the roles and relationships of Sudanese women residing in the Faisal neighborhood of Cairo. Previously limited to caregiving and household responsibilities, many women are now the primary breadwinners for their families. The economic instability caused by forced migration, coupled with the absence or separation of male relatives, particularly in the areas of childrearing and community leadership, has pushed women into unfamiliar but transformative positions of power and responsibility.
“I never imagined I would be the breadwinner for my entire family. But after the war, there was no one else,” said a woman who now runs a small grocery store in her neighborhood.
This shift is not limited to adult women. Even teenage girls are making crucial decisions related to education, family care, and income generation options that would have been socially restricted to male family members in their communities. As traditional expectations crumble under the pressure of necessity, new models of leadership and decision-making are taking root.
Roles that were once considered stigmatizing, such as working as tea sellers, are becoming more widely accepted. Women now run “coffee shops” and kiosks and participate in a wider range of entrepreneurial activities. These changes reflect a growing normalization of women’s economic agency in areas previously dominated by men, such as agriculture and building work.
“We used to whisper about women working on the streets. Now we sit side by side, selling and supporting our children,” said one interviewee.
The majority of women interviewed reported taking on multiple, often overlapping roles: securing financial assistance, navigating bureaucratic institutions, overseeing the care and education of their children, and managing all aspects of domestic life. These transformations go beyond economic participation; they represent a profound shift in gender dynamics and family power structures.
In conjunction with these new responsibilities, many women expressed a renewed commitment to shaping the future of their communities. Many expressed their intention to actively participate in neighborhood organizations and community committees once they could return home.
“Before, we used to say women must be empowered. Now, we know we can’t wait for men to fight for us. We must fight for ourselves. We must stand up for ourselves,” said a mother of three, who has now established a women’s support group in her building.
Education and skills development have also become essential survival strategies. Some women have returned to school, while others have learned new trades ranging from sewing and hairdressing to digital skills to support their families in increasingly competitive urban environments.
These transformations have radically redefined gender norms. Women now negotiate household leadership alongside caregiving and domestic duties, establishing a more assertive and visible presence at home and in public life.
Perhaps most striking is that this development has been underpinned by a strong sense of community solidarity. Informal networks led by women have emerged, offering mutual support, training, assistance with childcare, and shared access to information and opportunities.
Women primarily depend on other women, not NGOs or formal institutions, to help them navigate life in displacement.
“If it weren’t for the other women in my building, I wouldn’t have survived. We teach each other, lend money, and even raise each other’s children,” explained a woman who joined a small cooperative bakery with her neighbors.
Shaping Interactions: Coping with Displacement
The ways displaced Sudanese women interact with their families, with each other, and with the broader Cairo community are influenced by a variety of intersecting forces. Each factor affects how women redefine their roles, build their networks, and manage their new environment.
1. Economic Pressures and Searching for Alternatives
The high cost of living in Cairo is one of the biggest challenges facing displaced women. Many are forced to find alternative income sources, often in the informal sector, such as street vending, domestic work, or group savings and loan associations. This shift not only changes gender roles within families but also strengthens women’s leadership in creating survival economies.
2. Social Life and Emotional Resilience
In Sudan, women’s gatherings; especially the jebneh coffee ceremony, were not just social rituals but systems of governance and mutual aid. In Cairo, landlords and neighbors often restrict such gatherings, yet women adapt by organizing “Quran circles,” birthdays, or online groups that serve the same function. These spaces are essential for sharing information about jobs, rent, and legal issues, while also helping women cope with trauma through storytelling and solidarity.
3. Cultural Adaptation and Identity Preservation
Despite pressure to assimilate, women in Faisal preserve Sudanese identity through food, clothing, and rituals. Some invite Egyptian neighbors to taste Sudanese dishes, creating micro-bridges between communities. At the same time, women face discrimination in schools, workplaces, and public spaces, reinforcing their dual role as cultural preservers and negotiators of new realities.
Health and the Weight of Trauma
Many women carry layers of trauma: war, loss, and displacement. In Faisal, the absence of safe gathering spaces makes recovery even harder.
A local psychologist explained:
“When women lose the ability to gather, they lose part of their healing. Talking, laughing, sharing that was how trauma was processed in Sudan. Without it, stress builds.”
Huda, 50, put it simply:
“Silence is killing us.”
Conclusion: Women as Agents of Survival
The war has reshaped Sudanese women’s lives in Faisal in profound ways. They are now decision-makers, breadwinners, and organizers, while also carrying the heavy weight of trauma and invisibility.
But women are not simply surviving; they are actively remaking social life. They transform WhatsApp groups into safe spaces, kitchens into businesses, and neighborly ties into lifelines.
Amal, 38, who now runs a women’s support group, told me:
“Before, we used to say women must be empowered. Now we know we can’t wait. We must fight for ourselves, and for each other.”
Their voices remind us that displaced Sudanese women are not passive recipients of aid but agents of resilience and cultural continuity. Any response by NGOs, policymakers, or community groups must begin by recognizing their leadership and their strength.
Footnotes
1 This blog post was supported by CEDEJ Khartoum, which awarded a research grant to Rasha Ahmed Hassan El Fanjary in 2024.
OpenEdition vous propose de citer ce billet de la manière suivante :
cedejsudan (17 décembre 2025). The Impact of War on Sudanese Women in the Faisal Neighborhood of Cairo. Researching Sudan - A perspective on contemporary Sudan. Consulté le 16 avril 2026 à l’adresse https://doi.org/10.58079/15ddn
