New rape cases, disappearances documented in Sudan’s Omdurman

June 3, 2025 (OMDURMAN) – A local emergency response group in western Omdurman, Khartoum State, has documented three new cases of rape allegedly committed by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) elements in late May, the group said, also reporting the disappearance of five girls.

The Sudanese army reclaimed areas of western and southern Omdurman in late May, which had served as the last strongholds of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum State.

A member of the Umbedda Emergency Room told Sudan Tribune on Tuesday that “the group’s Women’s Office documented three rape cases committed by RSF elements in the Umbedda area late last May.”

One of the victims was a girl under 20 years old, while the other two were in their mid-twenties, the official noted. They have since been evacuated to safe areas to receive medical and psychological care.

Victims of sexual violence in Sudan often face extreme societal stigma, leading some to resort to desperate measures, including fleeing or attempting suicide. Such crimes are frequently shrouded in secrecy due to strong cultural associations with honour and shame.

The Umbedda Emergency Room also reported it had monitored the disappearance of five girls during the RSF’s control of the area from January to May 2025.

Human rights organizations have accused the RSF of committing widespread violations during its control of Khartoum neighborhoods, including kidnapping, rape, murder, arbitrary arrest, torture, looting, and forced displacement.

Human rights organizations believe the RSF is using rape as a weapon of war and a strategy to humiliate communities, noting that more than half of the documented sexual violence cases involve gang rape.