Nairobi – Fighters of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias have raped scores of women and girls, including in instances of sexual slavery, in South Kordofan state since September 2023, Human Rights Watch reported today. These acts of sexual violence, classified as war crimes and potentially crimes against humanity, highlight the urgent need for international action to protect civilians and deliver justice.
Conflict-related sexual violence constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law and can amount to crimes against humanity when part of widespread or systematic attacks on civilian populations.
Horrific accounts of abuse
A 35-year-old ethnic Nuba woman described how six RSF fighters invaded her family compound. “They said, ‘You Nuba, today is your day.’ They gang raped me. My husband and son tried to defend me, but one of the fighters shot and killed them,” she recounted. “Then all six continued raping me.”
Survivors described being raped in front of their families or held as sex slaves. One survivor said she was detained with 50 other women and repeatedly raped over three months. A total of 79 cases of rape involving victims aged 7 to 50 were documented, primarily in and around Habila and Fayu.
Sexual slavery and abductions
Hania, an 18-year-old survivor, recounted how RSF fighters abducted her and 17 others in February. Taken to a military base in Dibeibat, they were held in conditions of enslavement and subjected to daily sexual violence. “We were chained together like animals. Fighters would come in groups to take girls and rape them morning and evening,” she said. Hania resisted one attacker and was severely beaten with a whip tipped with metal. “I bled heavily and was hospitalized for 20 days,” she said. Pregnant at the time, she was later rescued by a sympathetic fighter and reunited with her family.
Rape in civilian homes
RSF fighters and allied gunmen often targeted civilians in their homes. On December 31, 2023, RSF forces captured Habila, killing men, looting homes, and raping women and girls.
Dana, 35, recounted how RSF fighters killed eight male relatives, including her husband, before raping her and her 21-year-old daughter Leila. “As they raped us, they said, ‘These Nuba are our slaves; we can do anything we want.’”
Nesrin, another survivor, described how six RSF fighters gang-raped her after killing her husband and son. She witnessed her 13- and 15-year-old neighbors being raped as well.
Survivors struggle for justice
Most survivors expressed despair about the lack of accountability. “There is nothing anyone can do for justice,” one survivor said. “I just have to report to God.”
Human Rights Watch shared its findings with RSF commander Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in November but received no response.
Cry for help
The UN and African Union (AU) should urgently deploy missions to protect civilians and address sexual violence, including prevention, documentation, and comprehensive services for survivors. UN member states should also enhance support for fact-finding missions to ensure accountability.
“This research exposes the horrific magnitude of sexual violence in Sudan,” said Belkis Wille, associate crisis and conflict director at Human Rights Watch. “Yet Sudanese victims have little access to services, let alone justice or efforts to stop these crimes.”
