Sudan documents over 200 cases of sexual violence against children during conflict

August 25, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Welfare has documented 224 cases of conflict-related sexual violence against children since the war began, a government official said on Tuesday.

Children in Sudan have faced severe risks since fighting erupted on April 15, 2023, including sexual assault, forced and early marriage, trafficking, abduction, and forced recruitment into armed groups.

Sulaima Ishaq, state minister for human resources and social welfare, told Sudan Tribune that documented incidents targeted both girls and boys during the conflict.

The cases include five girls aged between 6 and 14 who suffered severe injuries requiring multiple surgeries due to their age and the extent of the trauma, Ishaq said.

Reported figures represent only a fraction of the actual abuses due to social stigma, fear of retaliation, insecurity, and limited access to medical care, particularly in areas controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The findings align with warnings from international agencies. In March 2026, UNICEF reported that armed men had raped children as young as one year old during the conflict, condemning the acts as a horror that should shock the world to its core. The U.N. children’s agency warned that the true scale of child rape far exceeded documented cases and urged all warring factions to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.

Ishaq called for stronger community protection mechanisms, safe spaces, and immediate access to medical, legal, and psychosocial support for survivors.

Sociologist Naglaa Abdel Mahmoud said sexual violence in armed conflicts is exacerbated by the collapse of state institutions, family separation, and widespread impunity.

Abdel Mahmoud told Sudan Tribune that conflict dismantles social restraints, allowing perpetrators to commit abuses under the cover of force while children remain defenceless.

Widespread displacement, poverty, and school closures have heightened children’s vulnerability, she said, adding that sexual violence is frequently used as a weapon of war to terrorise communities and fracture social cohesion.

Survivors face long-term trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and severe social stigma that often deprives young victims of education and community reintegration, Abdel Mahmoud said.