Sexual Violence in Sudan Amid Conflict

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have committed extensive sexual violence, including gang rape and forced marriages, against women and girls in Khartoum since the conflict began in April 2023, a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report reveals. The RSF, which controls much of the capital, has been accused of holding women in conditions akin to sexual slavery and assaulting them in front of their families. Some attacks were also attributed to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The HRW report documents severe cases of sexual and gender-based violence leading to deaths and highlights the systemic barriers survivors face in accessing emergency care. Affected individuals include women, girls, men, and boys, with ages ranging from nine to 60. The United Nations has described the situation in Sudan as one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent history, with millions displaced and at risk of famine.