The Women of Sudan: War & Conflict Fought on the Bodies of Women

Written by Ruth Nakagawa

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.   


Sources

2023 Trafficking in Persons Report: Sudan. United States Department of State. https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-trafficking-in-persons-report/sudan/ 

2023 Trafficking in Persons Report: South Sudan. United States Department of State. https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-trafficking-in-persons-report/south-sudan/ 

Abbas, Reem, Al Karib, Hala. Sudanese Feminist Sisterhood: At the frontline of radical resistance and solidarity. August 14, 2023. https://www.alliancemagazine.org/blog/sudanese-feminist-sisterhood-at-the-frontline-of-radical-resistance-and-solidarity/ 

Abdelmoniem, Dallia M. World idle as Sudan’s women raped, killed and bombed. November 14, 2014. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/11/15/world-idle-as-sudans-women-raped-killed-and-bombed/ 

Adler, Nils, Abdelmoniem, Dallia M. 'Don’t let the other soldiers watch': Rape as weapon in Sudan war. August 14, 2023. https://www.aljazeera.com/features/longform/2023/8/14/dont-let-the-other-soldiers-watch-rape-as-a-weapon-of-war-in-sudan 

'Alarming' rise in rape and abduction from Sudan war, aid agencies say. July 7, 2023. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/alarming-rise-rape-abduction-sudan-war-aid-agencies-2023-07-07/ 

A Year of Suffering for Sudanese Women and Girls. April 14, 2024. UN Women https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/statement/2024/04/a-year-of-suffering-for-sudanese-women-and-girls 

Darfur mass rape termed crime against humanity. February 11, 2015. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/2/11/darfur-mass-rape-termed-crime-against-humanity 

Darfur: Rapid Support Forces, Allied Militias Rape Dozens. April 17, 2023. Human Rights Watch https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/08/17/darfur-rapid-support-forces-allied-militias-rape-dozens 

Elbagir, Nima, Arvanitidis, Barbara, Platt, Alex, Qiblawi, Tamara, Munsi, Pallabi. ‘They called me a slave’: Witness testimony exposes alleged RSF-led campaign to enslave men and women in Sudan. November 20, 2023. CNN https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/16/africa/sudan-investigation-rsf-enslavement-intl-cmd/index.html 

Elmileik, Aya. What prompted the protests in Sudan? December 26, 2018. Al Jazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/12/26/what-prompted-the-protests-in-sudan/ 

Fighting in Sudan: What We Know So Far.  April 16, 2023. Al Jazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/16/fighting-in-sudan-what-we-know-so-far

Fourteen female IDPs including children sexually violated in South Darfur. December 12, 2023. African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies https://web.acjps.org/fourteen-female-idps-including-children-sexually-violated-in-south-darfur/ 

Furlan, Marta. Human Trafficking in Sudan: How the Sudanese Civil Conflict is Facilitating Exploitation and Abuse. April 15, 2024. Orion Policy Institute https://www.orionpolicy.org/orionforum/262/human-trafficking-in-sudan-how-the-sudanese-civil-conflict-is-facilitating-explo 

Habani, Amal. Sudanese Women’s Bodies: Not Battlefields for Political Conflicts. March 16, 2023. https://carnegieendowment.org/sada/2023/03/sudanese-womens-bodies-not-battlefields-for-political-conflicts 

IPPF Statement on RSF Attacks Against Sudan Family Planning Association Health Facilities. September 11, 2023. International Planned Parenthood Federation https://www.ippf.org/media-center/ippf-statement-rsf-attacks-against-sudan-family-planning-association-health-facilities 

Letter from Africa: How 'cheating husbands' are linked to Sudan's protests. February 19, 2019. BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47291511 

Letter from Africa: 'We're not cleaners' - sexism amid Sudan protests. March 31, 2019. BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47738155 

Mirghani, Osman. A Travesty of The War in Sudan: The Trafficking of Women. February 2, 2024. Asharq Al-Aswat https://english.aawsat.com/opinion/4828421-travesty-war-sudan-trafficking-women 

Over 10m displaced by Sudan war, IOM says. July 17, 2024. Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240717-over-10m-displaced-by-sudan-war-iom-says/ 

Omar al-Bashir: Sudan's ousted president. August 14, 2019. BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-16010445

Salih, Zeinab Mohammed, Burke, Jason. Sudanese doctors say dozens of people raped during sit-in attack. June 11, 2019. The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/11/sudan-troops-protesters-attack-sit-in-rape-khartoum-doctors-report 

Seeds of Peace: UN Women's Support for Feminist Peacemakers in Sudan. April 9, 2024. UN Women https://africa.unwomen.org/en/stories/feature-story/2024/04/seeds-of-peace-un-womens-support-for-feminist-peacemakers-in-sudan 

South Sudan is world's newest country. July 9, 2011. UPI https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/07/09/South-Sudan-is-worlds-newest-country/71421310212261/ 

Statement by Ms. Hala Al Karib at the UN Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security. October 25, 2023. NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security https://www.womenpeacesecurity.org/resource/statement-hala-alkarib-security-council-open-debate-women-peace-security/ 

Sudan armed conflict: A war on women. December 20, 2023. African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies https://web.acjps.org/sudan-armed-conflict-a-war-on-women/ 

Sudan coup: Military dissolves civilian government and arrests leaders. October 21, 2021. BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59033142 

Sudan: Mass Rape by Army in Dafur. February 11, 2015. Human Rights Watch https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/02/11/sudan-mass-rape-army-darfur 

Sudan: Women in war-torn Omdurman forced to trade sex for food. July 22, 2024. Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240722-sudan-women-in-war-torn-omdurman-forced-to-trade-sex-for-food/ 

Sudan: Women and girls abducted, held ‘in slave-like conditions’ in Darfur. November 3, 2023. United Nations https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/11/1143177 

‘Women are not necessarily killed because of bullets or bombs’ – Sudanese activists describe humanitarian crisis amid civil war. April 11, 2024. UN Women https://africa.unwomen.org/en/stories/news/2024/04/women-are-not-necessarily-killed-because-of-bullets-or-bombs-sudanese-activists-describe-humanitarian-crisis-amid-civil-war 

Women are leading the humanitarian response in Sudan. July 5, 2023. UN Women https://africa.unwomen.org/en/stories/feature-story/2023/07/women-are-leading-the-humanitarian-response-in-sudan 

Women speak out about sexual violence in Sudan fighting. May 16, 2023. Al Jazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/16/women-speak-out-online-about-reports-of-sexual-violence-in-sudan 

World News in Brief: Sex trafficking and child recruitment in Sudan, new mass grave in Libya, children at risk in DR Congo. March 22, 2024. United Nations https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1147876 


Apply to be a WoLF Sister in Action!

We are a lively community of like-minded women, as well as a mobilized force for change.


Read More: WoLF Tracks


Contributors to WoLF Tracks have provided permission to share their content. While WoLF does not necessarily endorse all of the content in WoLF Tracks, we value our members' contributions and request revisions or edits to improve readability. Please read our User Generated Content policy for more information on community content. Learn more about WoLF membership here.


Next
Next

Addressing Intolerance Within Civil Rights Movements