“We saw from the first few days that sexual violence is used as a weapon of war against women and girls, and there have been incidences of rape in Khartoum and in different parts of Sudan. This is a war on Women.”

— Reem Abbas

Women and girls are being kidnapped, trafficked, forced into sex slavery, and forced to face other forms of systematic sexual violence at the hands of armed forces in Sudan.

On April 15, 2023, violent conflict broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary group, Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, over disagreements on how to integrate the RSF with the SAF and potentially establish a democracy in Sudan. The RSF was created in 2013 by then-President Omar al-Bashir who was ousted in 2019 after months of civil rights protests. Notably, 70% of the protestors were women, calling for an end to Public Order Laws that unfairly target women, and condemning sexist attitudes against Sudanese women. After the ousting of Omar al-Bashir, a transitional government composed of civilians and military leaders was assembled to establish Sudan as a democracy. In 2021, the transitional government was overthrown by the SAF with the cooperation of the RSF. Though the power struggle between the SAF and the RSF persists, sexual violence against women and girls has been used as a means of political terrorism and weapon of war by both the SAF and the RSF before the civil rights protests began in 2018.

In October 2014, the SAF performed a mass rape of at least 221 women and children in Tabit. Commanding officers told their soldiers to “rape women” believing them to be rebel supporters even though no fighters were near Tabit at the time. One woman in her 40s reported her rape and those of her three daughters, two of whom were younger than 11-years-old. Another woman was raped along with her three daughters, all under the age of 15, with clothes put in their mouths so no one could hear them screaming.

During the civil rights protests in Khartoum in 2019, more than 70 rapes were committed by RSF and other troops during a sit-in protest. Many other rapes were not reported due to victims’ fear of retribution, revictimization, insecurity in the city, and limited care. Lt Gen Jamaleddine Omar, from the ruling transitional military council, blamed all “regrettable events” on the pro-democracy groups that led the protests.

This history of sexual violence against women and children at the hands of the SAF and the RSF demonstrates a heedlessness to humanity that extends to the upending of roughly half the country through miliary violence.

Since the SAF-RSF began their dispute in April 2023, 10 million people – 20% of Sudan’s population -- have been displaced, with 53% of those displaced representing women and girls. 50 million – half of Sudan’s population -- face hunger instability and need humanitarian aid. The displacement of women and children has left them especially vulnerable to sexual violence, and the sex-based nature of these crimes have been grimly observed by world leaders and global humanitarian organizations.

Ms. Hala Al Karib, Regional Director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa, addressed the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace, and Security, stating that more than 4 million women and girls are at risk of sexual violence in Sudan due to this conflict. These attacks have been systematically targeting women, sometimes performed in front of their own family members.

Horrific stories of women and children being raped, kidnapped, trafficked, and sold into sex slavery have been circulating around Sudan and other African countries. The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies has been documenting accounts of women and girls and their stories of being abused. One account includes 14 females captives including children being raped by members of the RSF, Arab militia, and unknown masked men. Eye witness accounts from civilians have reported handcuffed women taken by members of the RSF. Girls as young as 11-years-old have been haggled over in El Fasher, the capital of Darfur.

Though these atrocities have gained global attention, the countries of Sudan and South Sudan (which gained independence as a new country in 2011) have not done well to address the crisis. The United States noted that insecurity has hindered reporting cases of human trafficking in Sudan. For the fourth consecutive year the country has failed to implement a standard operating procedure for handling cases, and they’ve forgone the pursuit of any officials for forced recruitment or use of child soldiers. In South Sudan, for the eleventh consecutive year, no prosecution of trafficking crimes took place and victims continue to be penalized for crimes committed as a direct result of being trafficked. Armed forces in South Sudan that have used child soldiers remain unpunished.

Human Rights Watch suggests there may be a classist and racial component to the way women have been targeted, as many survivors reported that their attackers used slurs for their Massalit or non-Arab background. Most attacks have taken place inside or around homes or temporary shelters, though some took place while civilians attempted to flee.

Hindered phone and internet connectivity worsens this war on women, which makes seeking help difficult if not impossible. Hospitals have also been compromised, as nearly 80% of Sudan’s hospitals were out of service by July 2023 after conflict arose in April of that year. Organizations and health care centers for women have also been targeted by warring parties in Sudan.

In September 2023, International Planned Parenthood condemned the attacks in Khartoum and El Fasher that have been made on clinics and health care centers run by the Sudanese Family Planning Association, an organization composed of gynecologists and obstetricians to provide services for sexual and reproductive health for women in Sudan. These attacks on clinics left many clients and staff injured and deterred women and girls from seeking care.

Sex-based violence, exploitation, and coercion persist because engaging in sex with the Sudanese army is sometimes the only way women can obtain food or sellable goods to support their families in cities like Omdurman.

Despite this relentless war on women, Sudanese women have remained steadfast in negotiations and mediations while leading the humanitarian response in Sudan, and Sudanese feminists have been reporting on the violence women and children face during war.

When Hala Al Karib concluded her address to the UN last year, among her roster of demands for the Sudanese people were the full, equal, meaningful, and safe representation of Sudanese women in public participation; that parties be held accountable for war crimes including sexual violence against women; and that any attacks against women human rights defenders and peace activists are condemned.

We stand by the women and girls of Sudan for peace and accountability for crimes committed against them.

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