UN Report Says Rapid Support Forces Used Sexual Violence as Weapon of War in Sudan

A new United Nations Human Rights Office report says sexual violence has been used “consistently as a tactic and weapon of war” since the conflict in Sudan erupted three years ago, with researchers verifying 546 incidents of conflict-related sexual violence in 16 of the country’s 18 states from the start of the war until mid-April this year.

The report documents 838 victims, including 539 women and 284 girls, and says at least 13 victims died, mostly following brutal gang rapes, with the youngest victim nine years old.

Africanews

UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk called for independent and impartial investigations, warning that “Persistent impunity is clearly deepening harms and reinforcing cycles of violations and abuses.”

The UN report attributes most verified cases to the Rapid Support Forces and its affiliates, while incidents have also been attributed to the Sudanese Armed Forces and associated groups.

In Darfur, the UN says there are grounds to believe some acts may amount to crimes against humanity when committed in the context of a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population.

The UN’s trend analysis report says rape, gang rape and sexual slavery have been used systematically as weapons of war since the outbreak of fighting between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces in April 2023.

It documents that around 87 percent of verified incidents were attributed to men in RSF uniforms, its affiliates and allied Arab militias, while incidents were also attributed to the SAF, affiliated security actors, the Joint Forces and other armed movements.

Al Jazeera

The report warns that impunity risks entrenching cycles of violence for years to come, with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk saying, “Sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war. This is a war crime.”

Investigators describe coordinated operations in which perpetrators arrived in groups with weapons and vehicles, with roles divided, and they report that more than a quarter of incidents involved gang rape in at least one case by 10 or more perpetrators against a single victim.

The UN also says at least 85 women and girls were held in sexual slavery, compelled to perform domestic labour for fighters and, in some cases, to generate income for them too.

The UN report says the verified cases represent only a fraction of the actual scale of abuses because underreporting remains widespread, citing fear of retaliation, social stigma, and the collapse of many services.

It says sexual violence has accompanied both the geographic expansion of the conflict and displacement routes, and it warns that “Unless the patterns and impacts of conflict-related sexual violence are addressed through justice, victim-centred responses and efforts to tackle stigma and discrimination, peace and social cohesion in Sudan risk being undermined for years to come.”

The report calls for prompt, independent and impartial investigations and says “All perpetrators, including those exercising command responsibility, must be held fully accountable, and victims must be guaranteed access to effective remedy, including reparation.”

It also urges the international community to extend the arms embargo and to extend the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court beyond Darfur to the entire country, as Türk expressed deep concern for civilian protection.

In addition, the UN report describes how service providers face difficulties pregnant survivors have in obtaining safe and legal abortions or in finding adoption options for children born following rapes.