As atrocities in Sudan’s Darfur region has escalated in recent weeks, Invisible Children and its partners have ramped up our efforts to respond to the crisis.

There is now substantial global attention on El Fashir, Sudan, where paramilitary forces have seized control and committed horrific atrocities against local communities – crimes that many experts believe amount to genocide. This is the latest escalation of human suffering in Darfur and across Sudan, which has been experiencing a civil war and one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises since 2023. During this period, IC has been on the frontlines of the crisis, working with local peacebuilders to mitigate violence, assist survivors of violence, and promote a culture of peace. 

The critical value of local peacebuilders

In the difficult environment of war-torn Darfur, Invisible Children’s approach has been to center and support community-based organizations and peacebuilders. This includes establishment of Peace Committees, which seek to reflect the diversity of identities and perspectives in each community. Local leaders possess the community trust, cultural knowledge, and networks necessary to navigate the complex challenges of delivering lifesaving assistance, including the provision of food, healthcare, and shelter to people displaced by fighting. Invisible Children first employed this model in South Darfur in 2022 and has since expanded to respond to the urgent needs in North and West Darfur. 

Local peacebuilders have proved to be remarkably resilient even in the face of severe conflict. While Invisible Children lost contact with the local peacebuilders in the early days of the war due to the collapse of the telecommunications systems, once we were able to reconnect with them we learned that they had continued to function throughout that period. In particular, they had provided aid, such as dignity kits and food, to displaced persons when no humanitarian assistance had reached their communities. 

Peace Committees in action

Invisible Children and its local partners have continued to adapt our programming to the needs of conflict survivors, including those fleeing the recent violence in El Fashir. Within local hospitals and clinics, we have established “Confidential Corners,” safe spaces for survivors of violence to receive psychosocial support through staff psychologists and local peacebuilders trained on psychological first aid. Our team is also providing survivors with dignity kits, which contain key hygiene and basic goods that are critical in meeting the needs of survivors who fled without any possessions or funds. Such discreet, trusted access points for care are critical in a context where stigma, especially for male survivors, is a barrier to accessing treatment. Invisible Children is also partnering with a Sudanese media organization to provide critical information on available services to people fleeing violence in North Darfur.

A core component of Invisible Children’s approach is mitigating the local drivers of conflict, through conflict mediation and social cohesion. Peace Committees are equipped to carry out social cohesion sensitizations to promote peaceful coexistence. Local Peace Committee members are also trained on conflict mediation and with the collapse of the formal judicial system during the war, have been working alongside local authorities and tribal leaders to resolve incidents of inter-communal tensions and violence. For example,  an Invisible Children-supported Peace Committee in South Darfur, recently successfully mediated a year-long, deadly conflict within the Habbaniya tribe. Applying skills from our training, including facilitation of mediation dialogues and do no harm principles the Peace Committee succeeded. After months of negotiations, a peace agreement was reached between the parties on November 14, 2025, allowing dozens of displaced families to return home safely. 

This success demonstrates how invested, trained local actors provide a reliable and effective mechanism for peace that persists amid national crises. By investing directly in them, we are not only saving lives today but also laying the groundwork for a more peaceful and secure future for all of Darfur’s communities.