Sudanese official reports 1,385 documented rapes in RSF territory

May 16, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – Sudan’s government-affiliated Unit to Combat Violence Against Women revealed on Friday the documentation of 1,385 cases of rape committed in areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023 up to May 2025.

Salima Ishaq, Director of the Unit to Combat Violence Against Women, told “Sudan Tribune” that the latest statistic for documented rape cases reached 1,385, including 204 children. She affirmed that all these crimes were committed in areas under the control of the paramilitary forces.

Ishaq disclosed that healthcare services have been provided to victims in the states of Khartoum, Al Jazirah, Sennar, North and West Kordofan, and the Darfur states, from April 2023 until this May.

She added that conflict-related sexual violence accounts for up to 98% of cases, noting that it is part of the weapons of war used by the RSF.

She also pointed to the existence of rape cases involving girls and women by regular forces, armed individuals, and also by armed civilians due to the spread of weapons and security chaos.

Independent human rights experts documented at least 330 cases of conflict-related violence in Sudan in 2025 alone, with the actual number believed to be significantly higher due to underreporting.