UN experts have stated that women and girls in war-torn Sudan are facing widespread and systematic violations of their rights, including gang rape, sexual slavery, and murder—particularly at the hands of fighters from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a deadly war between the army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, commanded by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti). The conflict has killed tens of thousands of civilians, displaced 13 million people, and triggered what the UN considers one of the worst humanitarian crises in a country of about 50 million people.
The war has fractured Sudan into zones of control, with the army dominating central, northern, and eastern regions, while the RSF and its allies hold much of Darfur in the west and parts of the south.
In this context of violence, women and girls are particularly at risk of gang rape, sexual enslavement, and forced marriage, warned a group of nine independent UN experts.
In a statement, they said, “We are deeply alarmed by the harrowing reports of sexual violence, abductions, and killings targeting women and children, including within displacement camps. These accounts reveal a systematic and brutal campaign against the most vulnerable members of Sudanese society.” They added, “Sexual violence continues to be used systematically as a weapon of war in Sudan.”
Rape Cases
The experts—including special rapporteurs on violence against women and girls, torture, and contemporary forms of slavery—reported that at least 330 cases of conflict-related sexual violence have been documented since the beginning of the year.
They noted that the actual number is likely much higher and added that some traumatized victims are believed to have taken their own lives. “Survivors are increasingly contemplating suicide as an escape from the horrors of the ongoing conflict,” they said.
These experts, appointed by the UN Human Rights Council but not speaking on behalf of the UN, emphasized that “these horrifying testimonies highlight the scale of the mental health crisis facing women and girls.”
Forced Disappearances
The experts also highlighted “a lack of access to care and support, as well as the impunity enjoyed by perpetrators—especially in areas where aid systems have completely collapsed.” They noted a significant rise in reports of forced disappearances in RSF-controlled areas, with many women and girls believed to have been abducted for purposes of sexual slavery and exploitation.
The statement explained that “victims are being abducted from displacement camps, markets, or shelters amid a collapse of protection systems.” The experts warned, “The appalling scale of violence endured by women and girls is a grim testament to the erosion of protection mechanisms during conflict,” and concluded, “The international community must act urgently to stop this spiral.”
