In Memory of Najlaa Ahmed

It is with real sadness that we share the news that our colleague and friend Najlaa Ahmed, Legal Adviser at Rights for Peace, passed away on Monday, 3 November 2025.

Najlaa was a unique human rights lawyer. She dedicated her career to advancing protection for victims of serious human rights violations in Sudan and South Sudan, and to pursuing accountability as well as the prevention of crimes based on discrimination. Her expertise spanned documentation of conflict-related sexual violence, legal reform, and advocacy for victims’ rights.

Before joining Rights for Peace, Najlaa served in several leading human rights organisations. She was Acting Executive Director for the Sudanese Rights Group, and a Human Rights Officer and Consultant for the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies, where she specifically investigated torture and related sexual violence in Sudan. She worked as a consultant at Human Rights Watch researching Sudanese women human rights defenders, and at REDRESS — where many of us first met her — coordinating their Criminal Law Reform work and the Prohibition of Torture in Sudan programme.

Najlaa was a deeply respected advocate — known for her understanding of law and her ability to translate legal standards into practical measures and actions relevant to victims and advancing their rights. She held an LLB and a Master's in Law from Beirut Arab University in Alexandria and was a participant in the Human Rights Advocates Programme at Columbia University in 2010.

Najlaa gave generously to those around her. She mentored young lawyers and activists and shared her expertise, connections and time freely. She held so many people — family, survivors, colleagues, fellow advocates — in her orbit of support. She was adamant about supporting a new generation of Sudanese advocates.

Najlaa had exceptional fire and determination. She did not give up, even in the face of unspeakably difficult circumstances. She believed that change is possible — and she worked for it, every single day. We will miss her humanity and courage.

Our hearts are with her family, her friends, and everyone whose lives she touched.

And we will not allow her work to stop here. We will do what she would have wanted: breathe renewed energy into our efforts for truth, dignity, justice and solidarity.