SIHA network reports 14 pregnancies among 75 rape cases in central Sudan
July 22, 2024 (KAMPALA) – Hala Al-Karib, the regional director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA Network), announced on Monday that there have been 14 cases of unwanted pregnancies among 75 incidents of rape and sexual violence committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Al Jazirah state.
SIHA released a report Monday on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) titled “Al Jazirah State and the Forgotten Atrocities,” detailing the underreported RSF’s violence against women in Al Jazirah after they overran most parts of the state in December 2023.
In a Zoom press conference, Al-Karib stated that the Initiative had documented 250 cases of sexual violence nationwide since the war began, including 75 cases in Al Jazirah state between December and the end of April 2024.
A human rights activist from Al Jazirah state, who spoke at the press conference anonymously, revealed that 25 underage girls had become pregnant due to rapes by the RSF, with their families unsure how to handle the situation.
The anonymous activist added that RSF crimes against women in Al Jazirah included exploitation, rape, and abduction, using sexual violence as a tool to exert pressure on families.
Three waves of sexual violence
The SIHA Network report outlines three distinct waves of sexual violence tactics employed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to assert control over the areas they invade in Al Jazirah state.
The first wave relies on shock tactics and typically occurs within the initial hours or days of invading a town or area. This method is primarily used to establish dominance.
Soldiers usually begin by firing shots into the air and looting markets, shops, commercial complexes, warehouses, and essential facilities such as banks if present, before moving on to individual houses.
The report notes that the soldiers forcibly enter homes under the guise of searching for regular army soldiers or other fighters. To further terrorize the residents, they use sexual violence against women and girls inside the homes, often accompanied by the killing of male family members, including men, youth, and sometimes boys who attempt to resist the sexual assault on the women and girls.
The second wave occurs after the RSF has invaded an area and established a degree of control. At this stage, they often target women who are visible in public. This includes healthcare workers, informal sector workers, and women subjected to kidnappings and forced marriage. The RSF’s goal appears to be securing coexistence and consent from the local population, using sexual violence as a tool to control and threaten victims’ loved ones.
Also, this method indicates “The ways that sexual violence has been used as a means to control and menace the loved ones of the victim and to secure their compliance”.
The third wave, similar to the second, emerges following the RSF’s stabilization in the area. It involves targeting specific women, such as food and tea vendors and women in public spaces, with less negotiation and coordination with local residents.
This suggests that the RSF believes it can operate without local consent, resorting to targeted reprisals against families, abductions, and forced marriages.
Holding RSF commander in Al Jazirah accountable
Regarding the responsibility for sexual violence crimes committed in Al Jazirah, the report underscores the urgent need to hold Abu Aqla Kikel, the commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the state, accountable, along with other leaders directly involved in these egregious violations.
The report advocates for Kikel’s criminal prosecution through a special court established under the United Nations’ authority, similar to the tribunal set up after the Rwanda massacres to address war crimes. It asserts that the evidence clearly points to their culpability for these atrocities.
The report also urges the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan to engage more extensively with local communities, human rights defenders, and witnesses in Al Jazirah, and to implement targeted awareness programs.
Furthermore, the report calls for the empowerment and training of women’s rights and human rights organizations that document and monitor violations. This would enable these organizations to effectively collaborate with the fact-finding mission and other investigative bodies.
Several factors have hindered efforts to raise awareness of the sexual violence occurring in Al-Jazirah state, which is home to over 6.5 million people, including more than 1.5 million displaced individuals. These factors include the state’s rural nature, the lack of organized civil society groups within Al-Jazirah, and the internet shutdown.