SIHA documents 1,294 sexual violence cases in Sudan

December 11, 2025 (KAMPALA) – The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) Network said on Thursday it had documented 1,294 confirmed cases of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) across 14 Sudanese states between 2023 and 2025.

The women’s rights group attributed the vast majority of violations to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), holding them responsible for 87% of cases where perpetrators were identified.

In a report, SIHA described the sexual violence as “systematic” rather than collateral damage, outlining a three-stage pattern accompanying RSF advances. The first wave, described as “The Takeover,” involves home invasions and looting, often accompanied by rape. As military control tightens, violations shift to public attacks in streets and markets. The final stage, “captivity,” entails the long-term detention of women in private homes or centres for torture, gang rape, and forced marriage.

Rape accounted for 77% of incidents where detailed information was available. The network also documented 225 cases involving children, predominantly girls aged 4 to 17, representing 18% of the total caseload.

The report highlighted ethnic profiling, noting that women from non-Arab tribes in Darfur—including the Masalit, Berti, Fur, and Zaghawa—were directly targeted. In Al-Gezira state, witnesses reported that lighter-skinned girls and women aged 14 to 30 were singled out as “trophies”.

SIHA also recorded the detention of more than 840 women by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in government-controlled areas, including Wad Madani, Gedaref, and Port Sudan. Many detainees face charges of collaboration with the RSF based on their ethnicity or residence.

At least 291 women remain missing or forcibly disappeared. The psychological toll has driven some survivors to suicide, with reports of 13 women in Al-Gezira throwing themselves into the Nile to escape trauma and stigma.