Sudanese doctors say 135 rape victims died by suicide since war began

July 29, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – At least 135 women who were raped since Sudan’s civil war began have died by suicide, a Sudanese doctors’ group said on Tuesday, highlighting the scale of sexual violence in the conflict.

Both warring parties face accusations of widespread abuses against women since the conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in April 2023. The RSF has been particularly implicated in charges of rape, sexual slavery and abduction.

“The committee has recorded the suicide of 135 women who were subjected to rape,” Dr. Adeeba Ibrahim Al-Sayed, a specialist with the Preliminary Committee of the Sudan Doctors Syndicate, told Sudan Tribune.

She attributed the suicides to factors including the fear of social stigma and abandonment by families.

The committee has documented 679 rape cases in total, all allegedly committed by RSF members based on victim testimonies, Al-Sayed said. This figure includes 256 cases involving children aged five to 16.

Doctors have also performed abortions for 48 rape victims, she said. In at least four other cases, women gave birth and subsequently abandoned their infants, who are now of unknown identity.

Al-Sayed called on international bodies, including the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and legal authorities to address the status of the abandoned children.