Sudan07 December, 20252 min read
Rapid Support Forces Rape 19 Women, Including Two Pregnant, As Civilians Flee El Fasher
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Rapid Support Forces raped 19 women fleeing El Fasher Two victims were pregnant and received special medical care
5 outlets told this the same way.
Alleged sexual violence in Darfur
Sudanese medical teams and rights groups have documented allegations that 19 women, including two who are pregnant, were raped while fleeing El-Fasher after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took control of the North Darfur capital. The Sudan Doctors Network reported the cases from displacement sites east of Al-Dabbah and Al-Affad and said the two pregnant survivors are receiving special medical care. The network condemned the attacks as violations of international law, and media outlets say the incidents occurred as civilians moved away from RSF-held areas amid wider reports of violence and displacement.
“Nineteen women, including two who are pregnant, were raped while fleeing El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, Sudan, according to reports.”
Calls for investigation and protection
The Sudan Doctors Network condemned the attacks as deliberate sexual violence and violations of international law, and urged the UN, human rights bodies, and the international community to send independent investigators and protect displaced women and children. The Network also stressed the need for safe humanitarian and medical access along displacement routes and documented that pregnant survivors were receiving special care. Local and regional outlets echoed these calls and appealed for thorough documentation and safer routes for civilians.
Allegations of RSF abuses
Reporting places the alleged rapes within broader allegations of abuses by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) following their assault and capture of El-Fasher.
“The assaults follow the RSF’s capture of El Fasher and come amid growing alarm over worsening abuses and alleged massacres by the RSF that have killed thousands and signaled a spread of unchecked war crimes in Sudan.”
5Pillars links the assaults to a pattern of worsening abuses and alleged massacres by the RSF that it says have killed thousands and signaled a spread of unchecked war crimes in Sudan.
Al Jazeera recalls a Nov. 16 report documenting 32 rapes of girls who fled Tawila after the RSF assault on Oct. 26 and warns that continued impunity could deepen Sudan's geographic fragmentation.
Anadolu highlights the displacement route from El-Fasher to Al-Dabbah and frames the incidents as part of escalating concerns.
Calls for Sudan probes
Al-Jazeera reports that the RSF did not immediately respond to the specific allegations, while its commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemeti) acknowledged 'excesses' by his forces on Oct. 29 and said inquiry committees were formed.
The Sudan Doctors Network and other outlets continue to press for independent probes and protection measures, with local reporting emphasizing documentation and safe routes for civilians.
Observers cited in regional reporting urged international bodies to send investigators and secure humanitarian access to displacement routes.
Media framing of Sudan claims
The three outlets converge in treating the Sudan Doctors Network's statements as allegations requiring investigation. They differ in emphasis: 5Pillars foregrounds accusations of war crimes and external backing, Anadolu stresses calls for independent investigators and humanitarian corridors, and Al-Jazeera situates the episode within a documented pattern of sexual violence and displacement while noting limited RSF acknowledgment. Because each source largely relays the Network's claims and cites calls for independent probes, independent verification remains unclear and the reporting explicitly requests further investigation.
“Nineteen women, including two who are pregnant, were raped while fleeing El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, Sudan, according to reports.”