Wartime rape and sexual violence cases reach 136 in Sudan

September 24, 2023 (PORT SUDAN) – A government official revealed on Sunday that the number of girls subjected to rape and sexual violence since the start of fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has increased to about 136 cases.

RSF elements have been accused of committing crimes of rape and conflict-related sexual violence. However, their leaders have repeatedly denied the involvement of their members in such crimes and accused the security and military services of being behind the distortion of the image of the paramilitary forces.

Sulima Ishaq, Director of the Anti-Violence Against Women Unit of the Sudanese government, told Sudan Tribune that “rape crimes since the beginning of the war have risen to 136 cases, 68 of which were recorded in Khartoum State, while the rest of the cases were distributed in the states of South and West Darfur.”

Ishaq explained that all the new cases, according to the survivors, were committed by RSF members, except for only two cases that armed looting groups committed.

Sudan has witnessed violent fighting between the army and the paramilitary forces since April 15, which began in the capital and expanded to include large areas in Darfur and Kordofan regions.

Extensive violations against civilians have marked the military clashes between the warring parties, encompassing actions such as killing, arrest, and forcibly displacement of individuals from their residences, which had been seized and transformed into military installations by paramilitary forces.

(ST)