RSF committing widespread sexual violence, amounting to war crimes: UN
October 29, 2024 (GENEVA) – A UN fact-finding mission reported on Tuesday that Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are responsible for widespread sexual violence, including gang rapes and the abduction and detention of women in conditions amounting to sexual slavery.
The report, which expands on findings presented to the Human Rights Council in September, concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe that these acts constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, including torture, rape, sexual slavery, and persecution on ethnic and gender grounds.
While the report also documented cases involving the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allied groups, it emphasized that the majority of the rape and sexual violence has been perpetrated by the RSF, particularly in Greater Khartoum, Darfur, and Al Jazirah states. This violence, the report argues, is a deliberate tactic to terrorize civilians, punish those perceived to be associated with the SAF, and suppress any opposition.
“The sheer scale of sexual violence we have documented in Sudan is staggering,” said Mohamed Chande Othman, Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission. “The situation faced by vulnerable civilians, in particular women and girls of all ages, is deeply alarming and needs urgent attention.”
The report detailed a horrific range of sexual violence against women, including rape, gang rape, sexual exploitation, abduction for sexual purposes, forced marriage, and cross-border trafficking for sex. These acts often occur during invasions of towns and cities, attacks on displacement sites or fleeing civilians, and during prolonged occupation of urban areas.
In Darfur, the report noted that sexual violence is carried out with exceptional cruelty, often involving the use of firearms, knives, and whips to intimidate and coerce victims. Victims are frequently targeted based on their gender and ethnicity and subjected to racist and sexist slurs and death threats.
The report also highlighted accounts of sexual violence against men and boys in detention, including rape, threats of rape, forced nudity, and beatings.
The mission concluded that the abduction and detention of women and girls for sexual purposes, including rape and sexual exploitation, amount to sexual slavery.
“These women, girls, boys, and men in Sudan who are increasingly exposed to sexual and gender-based violence need protection,” said mission member Joy Ngozi Ezeilo. “Without accountability, the cycle of hatred and violence will continue. We must stop impunity and hold perpetrators accountable.”
The report also detailed numerous other human rights violations and international humanitarian law, noting that these are escalating daily. With a quarter of Sudan’s population displaced or have fled to neighbouring countries, the vast majority are vulnerable to gross violations and abuses, including sexual violence.
The impact of these crimes is compounded by the lack of access to medical care and psychosocial support for victims of sexual violence, as many healthcare facilities have been destroyed, looted, or occupied. Victims also face stigma, victim-blaming, and shame.
“The responsibility and shame for these heinous acts should be placed solely on the perpetrators,” said mission member Mona Rishmawi. “Unless the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court is expanded to cover all Sudan and an independent judicial mechanism working in tandem with the ICC is established, the perpetrators of these crimes will continue to rip through Sudan causing terror and havoc.”
Rishmawi stressed the urgent need for victim support and called for the immediate establishment of a dedicated office to provide medical and legal assistance.
The ongoing violence underscores the urgent need for civilian protection. “Ways must be found to create conditions for the immediate deployment of an independent protection force,” said Othman. “There is no safe place in Sudan now.”