Widespread sexual violence has become a tragic hallmark of Sudan's ongoing civil war. Reports of sexual slavery markets, unprovoked kidnappings, rape, mutilation, and the murder of female civilians are some of the examples of the inexplicable violence against women in Sudan.
The ongoing battle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is one of the most underreported conflicts globally. The power struggle between the two has killed tens of thousands and displaced over 11 million people since the outbreak of the war in April 2023. At the heart of the conflict are two generals: Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, leading the SAF, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, heading the RSF.
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On October 29, a U.N. mission reported that Sudan's RSF and its allies have committed "staggering" levels of sexual abuse, raping civilians as troops advance and abducting some women as sex slaves during the more than 18-month-long war.
Victims have ranged in age from eight to 75, according to the U.N. fact-finding mission's report, with most sexual violence committed by the RSF and allied Arab militias in an attempt to terrorize and punish people for perceived links to enemies.
During the first nine months of Sudan's conflict, there were several reports of widespread sexual abuse being used as a weapon of war. In a widely distributed social media post, an RSF member boasted that women, property, and wealth in seized territories were considered war booty and, according to the law of combat, the militia’s exclusive and indisputable right.
In her award-winning report on the epidemic of sexual violence in Sudan since the outbreak of the civil war, Sudanese journalist Dalia Abdelmonim describes how women navigate insecurity and lawlessness.
"If you're going to rape me, then close the door, don’t let the other soldiers watch." This was the frantic cry of one rape victim quoted in the report. She was trying to avoid being gang-raped.
Government security forces have also used sexual violence against female protesters as an intimidation tactic, according to reports by Sudanese journalists.
Media reports also indicate that Sudanese women in Gezira State have committed mass suicide out of desperation to avoid being raped by paramilitary forces. A female activist from Gezira, who requested anonymity because she feared for her life, told the BBC that she had confirmed accounts of women taking their own lives after their husbands were killed by the RSF.
She had seen WhatsApp messages from one woman who described how her sister had taken her own life after being raped by RSF militiamen, who had also killed five of her brothers and some of her uncles in Al Seriha.
Speaking to News Central TV, Hala Al-Karib, Regional Director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa, confirmed the mass suicides, emphasizing that, since the onset of the civil war, women’s bodies have increasingly been weaponised.
“Our bodies have been used as war weapons, and women in Central Sudan have been committing suicide because they couldn’t bear the pain of gang rape and torture they are experiencing at the hands of the militia,” she explained.
Sexual violence against women continues in Sudan as the country's two top generals, who once worked together and carried out a coup together, now battle for supremacy. Women in Sudan continue to bear the brunt of mass atrocities committed by armed actors seeking political gain.
