The Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF), alongside allied militias, have been involved in committing extensive sexual violence and enforcing sexual slavery in South Kordofan since September 2023. This is detailed in a comprehensive report published by Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Sunday. The documented acts of violence predominantly target women and girls, which HRW claims reach the threshold of war crimes and may constitute crimes against humanity.
The report highlights alarming testimonies from survivors, describing systematic sexual assaults, abductions, and detentions under inhumane conditions. Many victims have suffered repeated abuse, resulting in long-term physical and psychological trauma. According to Laetitia Bader, HRW’s deputy Africa director, the RSF has intensified its campaign of violence, with numerous instances of rape and enforced marriages within residential areas in Sudan’s capital already being reported by HRW in July 2024.
The violence is most concentrated in Sudan’s Darfur region and has escalated following the onset of hostilities in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and RSF, as detailed in previous reports such as those found on Sudan Tribune. Although both factions have faced accusations of human rights abuses, the HRW investigation specifically concentrates on the RSF’s direct participation in the reported mass sexual violence.
International human rights organizations, including the UN, have consistently flagged concerns about a rise in gender-based violence amid ongoing conflict. HRW’s latest findings echo earlier warnings from these bodies regarding the dire human rights situation in Sudan.
Calls for urgent intervention are growing, as highlighted by statements from notable figures such as Kenneth Roth, former executive director at HRW, who emphasized the shocking nature of the violence, citing concerns raised by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
For further reading, consider the original report by JURIST.