Human Rights Watch Accuse Sudan's Paramilitary Rapid Support Forces Of Sexual Violence

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has reported widespread sexual violence perpetrated by Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum as the war in Sudan intensifies.

Since the onset of the war in April 2023, the RSF has been accused of gang rape, forced marriages, and holding women and girls in conditions akin to sexual slavery.

The HRW report also attributes some attacks to the army, noting that both sides have previously denied such abuses and claimed to implement measures against human rights violations.

Women living in RSF-controlled areas report living in constant fear, with some resorting to sleeping with knives for self-defense. A midwife described RSF raids targeting specific houses to assault women and girls. Survivors seeking to terminate pregnancies resulting from rape faced numerous obstacles. Men and boys have also been victims of sexual violence.

Since the beginning of the war, the RSF has held most of Khartoum and neighboring cities Bahri and Omdurman. The conflict, rooted in a power struggle following the 2019 overthrow of autocrat Omar al-Bashir, has led to ethnically motivated violence, particularly in Darfur.

The RSF and allied militias are accused of attacking the Masalit ethnic group, including sexual assaults.

Hala al-Karib from the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) highlighted that Masalit women, as well as those from the Nuba mountains, are targeted around Khartoum and Omdurman.

Nidal Ahmed, an emergency response volunteer, reported that female volunteers have faced detentions and rapes, with a colleague killed in late 2023.

HRW noted a rise in sexual violence cases after the army took control of Omdurman in early 2024. This ongoing conflict and the resulting human rights abuses underscore the urgent need for international intervention and support for survivors.