Human Rights Watch: Sexual violence widespread in Sudan’s war-torn capital

Warring parties in Sudan have committed widespread sexual violence against women and girls between the ages of 9 and 60 and denied survivors access to medical care in the capital, Human Rights Watch said on July 29.

In a new report titled “Khartoum is not safe for women,” the human rights organization recorded testimonies from 42 health workers and first responders about sexual violence, forced and child marriages since the outbreak of war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in April 2023.

Between April and February 2024, 18 health care providers alone treated a total of 262 survivors of sexual violence in the greater Khartoum area, which includes the city of Omdurman on the other side of the Nile.

However, according to emergency responders, the number of reported cases is only a fraction of the actual number, and most survivors are unable or unwilling to go to the emergency room.

The RSF “have raped, gang raped and forced into marriage countless women and girls in residential areas of the Sudanese capital,” said Laetitia Bader, HRW’s deputy Africa director.

“The armed group terrorizes women and girls and both warring parties block access to aid and support services. This exacerbates the suffering they face and leaves them feeling unsafe anywhere.”

The 88-page report also details “conditions that could amount to sexual slavery.”

Although sexual violence has been identified primarily as a systematic weapon of the RSF, there are also reports of sexual violence by army soldiers.

HRW says there has been “an increase in reported cases” since the army “took control of Omdurman in early 2024.”

No access to care

Throughout Sudan, survivors report severe physical injuries as a result of sexual assault, sometimes by multiple fighters at the same time.

Among the women treated by HRW health workers, “at least four have died as a result” of their injuries.

Women who become pregnant after an assault have little or no access to abortion care and are at risk of further violence and social consequences. Some have been abandoned by their families, HRW said.

While the army effectively besieges the RSF-controlled areas – and even restricts the delivery of medical and humanitarian supplies for over a year – volunteers in local emergency rooms are playing “the leading role in responding to sexual violence”.

Also read:The Sudan conflict explained in 8 diagrams

The volunteers themselves were regularly targeted by both sides, and RSF fighters even carried out “sexual violence against the service providers,” HRW reported.

The human rights group said the RSF’s widespread sexual violence constituted “war crimes and crimes against humanity,” while attacks on health services by both sides were considered “war crimes.”

They called on the African Union and the United Nations to “urgently send a civilian protection force” to the northeast African country.

The war has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people across the country, with some estimating the death toll as high as 150,000.

In addition, the crisis has triggered the world’s largest refugee crisis: more than 10.7 million people have been displaced within Sudan – which is currently on the brink of famine – and more than two million others have fled across the border.