Widespread Sexual Violence Against Women and Girls in Sudan

by: Horn Observer Contributor | 10 April 2025 21:15

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Widespread Sexual Violence Against Women and Girls in Sudan

NAIROBI, Somalia (HORN OBSERVER) – The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have committed extensive sexual violence against women and girls during Sudan's two-year civil war, using rape, gang-rape, and sexual slavery as tools to humiliate, control,

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PHOTO: Amnesty International's latest report outlines how these atrocities amount to war crimes and potentially crimes against humanity.

NAIROBI, Somalia (HORN OBSERVER) – The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have committed extensive sexual violence against women and girls during Sudan's two-year civil war, using rape, gang-rape, and sexual slavery as tools to humiliate, control, and displace communities across the country.

Amnesty International’s latest report outlines how these atrocities amount to war crimes and potentially crimes against humanity.

The report, titled They Raped All of Us: Sexual Violence Against Women and Girls in Sudan, details horrific incidents of sexual violence, including the rape or gang-rape of 36 women and girls as young as 15, across four Sudanese states between April 2023 and October 2024.

The victims suffered brutal assaults such as a mother being raped after her breastfeeding child was forcibly removed, and a woman held in sexual slavery for 30 days in Khartoum.

In addition to sexual violence, survivors were subjected to severe beatings, torture with hot liquids and sharp objects, and even murder.

Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Regional Human Rights Impact, condemned the RSF’s actions, saying, "The RSF’s assaults on Sudanese women and girls are sickening, depraved, and aimed at inflicting maximum humiliation. The RSF has targeted civilians, particularly women and girls, with unimaginable cruelty during this war. The world must act to stop the RSF’s atrocities by stemming the flow of weapons into Sudan, pressuring the leadership to end sexual violence, and holding perpetrators, including top commanders, accountable.”

30 survivors and their relatives

The civil war in Sudan, which erupted in April 2023 between the RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), has led to the deaths of tens of thousands and displaced more than 11 million people.

Both sides have committed numerous violations of international humanitarian law, including widespread sexual violence.

Amnesty’s report is based on interviews with 30 survivors and their relatives, mostly from Ugandan refugee camps.

All victims identified RSF fighters as the perpetrators of these attacks.

Many of these assaults took place in front of other soldiers, civilians, or victims, suggesting that the perpetrators did not fear reprisals or punishment.

In one of the most harrowing testimonies, a woman from Nyala, South Darfur, recounted being tied to a tree and raped in front of others by RSF soldiers.

"It was the most horrific day in my life,” she said.

In another case from Madani, Gezira, a woman was gang-raped by three RSF soldiers while her 12-year-old daughter and sister-in-law looked on.

"It was so humiliating,” she said. "I feel broken.”

Many survivors shared that they were targeted by RSF soldiers on suspicion of supporting the SAF.

Female medical workers reported being raped if they failed to save injured soldiers, with one nurse recalling how 13 soldiers abducted her in Khartoum North, forced her to treat critically wounded men, and then gang-raped her.

Amnesty documented cases of sexual slavery, including a woman held captive in a Khartoum house for a month, enduring daily sexual assaults.

Survivors of sexual violence described how resisting rape resulted in beatings, torture, or death, including the killing of an 11-year-old boy who tried to protect his mother.

The report highlights the inadequate global response to the crisis.

Survivors, now refugees, face severe physical and psychological trauma but have been unable to access timely medical care due to ongoing conflict and stigma.

Furthermore, cuts to critical USAID-funded programs have reduced access to sexual health care for those affected.

"The international response to the suffering of Sudanese women and girls has been reprehensible,” Muchena added. "The world has failed to protect civilians, provide sufficient humanitarian aid, or hold perpetrators accountable. It’s time for the international community to acknowledge the truth of what has happened in Sudan, ensure justice for the victims, and offer reparations and comprehensive health care to survivors.”

The report calls for an urgent response from the global community to end the RSF’s impunity, stop the flow of weapons to Sudan, and provide justice for the survivors of these heinous crimes.