A devastating feature of Sudan’s latest war, which began on 15 April 2023, has been the epidemic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, designed to tear apart the very fabric of society, and to silence its victims and survivors. While this affects men and boys too, women and girls bear the brunt of this tragic tactic.
Over recent months and years we have worked to ensure women are unsilenced. Recently, we have been honoured to collaborate with the Imperial War Museum for their exhibition Unsilenced: Sexual Violence in Conflict, which is the UK’s first major exhibition dedicated to the topic of sexual violence in conflict. It is now open to the public for free at the Imperial War Museum in London, until 2 November 2025.
Inside, Waging Peace’s work is featured in a room dedicated to spotlighting NGO responses. On display are a selection of our Children’s Drawings which show a child’s perspective of the incidents of sexual violence they witnessed. And mounted in pride of place closing off the exhibition is the ‘Peace by Piece’ giant toub*, as well as a picture of it being proudly displayed on a march around London for International Women’s Day 2024. (*A toub is a style of dress in Sudan.) This a project in which we take great pride, as it brought together women from across Sudan, and the United Kingdom, united in their calls for ‘freedom, peace, and justice’ in Sudan, the rallying cries of the 2018-2019 revolution. See it shining in all its glory below.
We know the exhibition has a lot of daily visitors, whom we hope leave with some knowledge of both current and historic wars in Sudan, and exit the exhibition with the voices of Sudanese women ringing in their ears.
We have also been honoured to take special guests on visits to the exhibition, from the Rt Hon Anneliese Dodds (second image), to the Duchess of Edinburgh (first image).
We invite YOU to attend the exhibition and bear witness.
© IWM HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh meets Sonja Miley, Co-Executive Director of Waging Peace as HRH visits Unsilenced: Sexual Violence in Conflict at IWM London (open until 2 November 2025).
Most importantly, in May we attended the launch of the Imperial War Museum exhibition. We brought with us dozens of Sudanese women and supporters who themselves bear witness to the use of rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war in Sudan.
You can read the reflections of the women who joined us for this launch below and in this newsletter when we asked them, “what does this exhibition, and this moment seeing the toub in this exhibition mean to you?”
Anonymous: The museum addressed an important issue, and this gives the women a power to speak and also feeling that they are not alone. The toub, it is unbelievable. I remember when we started, and look where is it now. It is an amazing peace that presents the strength of the unity and beauty. Whenever I see it I feel that we could go far with our dreams. Thank you.💜
Rania Suleiman: I was deeply honored to be invited by Waging Peace to attend the opening of the “Unsilenced” exhibition at the Imperial War Museum.
Standing before the toub was profoundly moving. It wasn’t just a garment—it was a declaration. A light cast on a war too often forgotten. A moment that didn’t just speak of violence, but of resilience. It illuminated the strength, dignity, and beauty of Sudanese women—our mothers, grandmothers, sisters—whose voices have been silenced for far too long. That night, those voices were finally heard.
Every piece on display carried weight and meaning.
Kandaka. Empowerment. Embrace. Hope. Peace. Love.
A woman holding Sudan in her arms. A symbol of healing. Of unity. Of a collective soul.
What moved me most was the story behind the toub itself—a masterpiece sewn together by Sudanese women from across the country, from every background, ethnicity, and faith. Despite everything that divides, they came together to create something that unites. A powerful act of solidarity, stitched with the essence of what Sudan can be.
To see this work displayed in a place as historically significant as the Imperial War Museum is a monumental step. It gives Sudan visibility, humanity, and—above all—hope.
I am beyond grateful to the entire Waging Peace team, and every single woman and individual who made this possible. Thank you for giving our stories space. For making us seen. For refusing to let us be silenced.
Elements of this page originally appeared in a newsletter published on 29 May 2025. Please sign up to our newsletter here.
