Center for Civilians in Conflict

07/23/2026

Sudan is currently facing the worst humanitarian crisis globally. Continuous violence, mass displacement, and the collapse of safety networks have left an estimated 33.7 million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

Amidst these immense challenges, we remain deeply committed to protecting those caught in the crossfire.

To mark the first year of CIVIC's operations in Sudan, our Executive Director, Hichem Khadhraoui, recently visited the region, holding meetings with ambassadors, ministers, security actors, and high-level UN representatives to discuss how we can collectively strengthen civilian protection.

At the heart of CIVIC's mission in Sudan is a simple but powerful dual approach:

1️⃣ We support local communities by building their resilience and helping them lead their own protection efforts.

2️⃣ We engage with authorities and influential actors to help them adopt practical tools, policies, and actions that actively prevent and reduce civilian harm.

By keeping conflict-affected communities at the absolute center of our response, we ensure that protection efforts are locally led, evidence-based, and responsive to real-world needs.

👉 Learn more about our work in Sudan https://lnkd.in/dUNfSYCg

07/22/2026

07/22/2026

07/20/2026

📢 "Protecting civilians must remain a strategic objective. It’s only in this way that we can secure a better future for the people of Sudan."

Following a recent visit to Khartoum, CIVIC’s Executive Director, Hichem Khadhraoui, shares a sobering look at the reality on the ground in Sudan. The level of destruction is profound, with the conflict essentially targeting civilian infrastructure, including major hospitals that once catered to the entire country, now left completely blocked and stripped of key equipment.

Our key focus remains strengthening the protection and safety of civilians. True progress requires global support and deep engagement across all levels, from local communities and civil society to national authorities and security forces.

🎥 Watch the video to see the full update from Khartoum.

👉 Read more about our impact in Sudan: https://civic.shorthandstories.com/sudan/

07/01/2026

Conflict is not gender-blind. When protection mechanisms fail to include diverse perspectives, critical, life-saving risks remain completely unseen.

🇸🇴 Somalia: Women protection actors identified that displaced, female-headed households faced eviction at three times the rate of others, successfully reshaping national guidelines.

🇺🇦 Ukraine: Women in community protection groups documented critical gaps in emergency shelters—like a lack of hygiene supplies and child-friendly spaces—making them safer for the entire community.

🇾🇪 Yemen: Women identified harassment and extortion at military checkpoints. Working alongside their male colleagues, they engaged military leaders to deploy female officers and create safe, private search spaces.

Effective protection means understanding how conflict affects women, men, boys, and girls differently—and responding to all of these realities.

📖 Read our latest policy brief to learn why community protection must never be partial: https://civiliansinconflict.org/when-only-certain-voices-are-heard-protection-becomes-partial/

06/23/2026

What happens when only certain voices are heard in community protection efforts?

Protection becomes partial.

Our latest policy brief examines how gender and inclusion shape community-based protection efforts in Mali, Somalia, Ukraine, and Yemen.

The report finds that when diverse perspectives are included, communities are better able to identify protection risks, address barriers to assistance, and strengthen protection outcomes for everyone.

Through examples from four contexts, our research demonstrates why gender-responsive protection is not simply about representation but is an important aspect of civilian protection.

Explore the report:
https://shorturl.at/nBWph

06/15/2026

As the conflict in Ukraine intensifies, the daily life for families has become a painful reality. For Marta Skurska, CIVIC’s Program Manager in Ukraine, a warning siren means coordinating blankets, pillows, and strollers for her three kids only to find packed shelters or overcrowded metro stations where there isn't even enough room to lay down a mat.

Marta's story is a stark reminder that even when a shelter exists, actual access, space, and safety remain critical hurdles.

Civilians cannot be left to navigate these logistics alone. As civilian harm mounts, CIVIC urges the implementation of stronger, more robust protection measures to ensure that everyone can find true safety when they need it most.

📢 Listen to Marta’s full account in the audiogram below.

👉 Read our full statement and recommendations here: https://civiliansinconflict.org/press-releases/as-civilian-harm-mounts-across-ukraine-civic-urges-stronger-protection-measures/

06/10/2026

CIVIC is strengthening civilian protection efforts in Benin and Togo.

Our highlights from this region include:

• Securing key registrations and authorizations to launch programming
• Conducting 402 civilian perception surveys
• Engaging and training local NGOs
• Convening a high-level policy dialogue in Cotonou
• Supporting Protection of Civilians training for 400 Beninese soldiers under Operation Mirador

These efforts are enhancing civilian protection in frontline security operations across the region.

Explore the full impact in our 2025 Annual Report:
https://civiliansinconflict.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/FINAL-CIVIC-Annual-Report-2025.pdf

06/09/2026

Today, we are pleased to launch CIVIC's 2025 Annual Report.

From Somalia and Sudan to Ukraine, Yemen, Syria, and beyond, CIVIC worked alongside communities, security actors, and policymakers to strengthen civilian protection and reduce harm during conflict.

Read the report to learn how communities are shaping their own protection and driving meaningful change.

Read the report here:https://civiliansinconflict.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/FINAL-CIVIC-Annual-Report-2025.pdf