Sexual violence is rampant in Sudan’s civil war, rights groups says

The formerly military-aligned RSF grew out of the Janjaweed militias formed during the conflict in Darfur in the 2000s by former President Omar al-Bashir, who ruled the country for three decades until he was overthrown during a popular uprising in 2019. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court for charges of genocide and other crimes committed during the conflict.

In a report released Sunday, Human Rights Watch said it documented widespread sexual violence, as well as forced and child marriage during the conflict in Khartoum and the nearby cities of Omdurman and Bahri, or Khartoum North. The three cities are known as Greater Khartoum.

These acts constitute “war crimes and crimes against humanity,” it said.

The group said most of the cases were attributed to the Rapid Support Forces, but some were also blamed on the military, especially as the military retained control of Omdurman earlier this year. It said men and boys have also been raped, including in detention.

Both the RSF and the military didn’t immediately answer requests for comment.

Human Rights Watch said neither party has taken meaningful steps to prevent its forces from committing rape or attacking health care, nor to independently and transparently investigate crimes committed by their forces.

It said an RSF spokesman denied occupying hospitals or medical centers in Khartoum and its sister cities, but didn’t provide evidence that the group has carried out effective investigations into allegations of sexual violence by its forces.

It called on the African Union and the United Nations to jointly deploy a new mission to protect civilians in Sudan, including preventing sexual and gender-based violence.

“The United Nations and African Union need to mobilize this protection and states should hold to account those responsible for ongoing sexual violence, attacks on local responders, health facilities and the blocking of aid,” Bader said.

Clashes were reported over the weekend in eastern Sudan and in the city of al-Fasher, the military’s last stronghold in the sprawling western region of Darfur. The RSF has besieged al-Fasher for months in an effort to seize control.

International experts warned last month that 755,000 people are facing famine in the coming months, and that 8.5 million people are facing extreme food shortages.