African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies ACJPS | المركز الافريقي لدراسات العدالة و السلام
22 November 2023
Since April 15, 2023, when the armed conflict erupted in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, violence has extended to various regions, resulting in the deaths of thousands of civilians and the displacement of millions of people. Amidst the turmoil and devastation, a less conspicuous but significant threat looms for civilians of all genders; an escalation in sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). SGBV is a range of harmful actions and behaviors that target individuals based on their gender, imposing physical, sexual, psychological, and socio-economic suffering. It encompasses a wide spectrum of acts, including but not limited to sexual assault, rape, domestic violence, human trafficking, and sexual exploitation.
The rival militaries plunged the country into a brutal civil war over six months ago. Over nine thousand people have died, thousands wounded and more than 5.7 million have been displaced inside and outside the Sudan. At least 25 million people are now relying on humanitarian aid. Intense battles have continued in the country with concentration in the Darfur region and Khartoum including in residential areas.
Women Organisations documenting SGBV have verified 124 rapes as of October 2023 with the actual number likely extending into the thousands. Challenges in obtaining reliable data have included poor phone connections, frequent power cuts, difficulties in tracking survivors who have fled to neighboring countries, and fear of reprisals hindering survivors from speaking out. The RSF paramilitary group, occupying civilian neighborhoods in Khartoum and Omdurman, is implicated in the majority of documented rapes, often using sexual violence as a brutal strategy to force people to evacuate their homes. Over four million women and girls in Sudan are at risk of sexual violence, according to the World Health Organization. Campaign groups report instances of women being kidnapped by the RSF for ransom, often experiencing rape during captivity. Testimonies point to the RSF’s involvement in rapes, including disturbing incidents of women being assaulted in front of their families. The scale of the issue is alarming, with numerous cases documented, some resulting in fatalities. In Darfur, the pattern of sexual violence echoes the genocidal war of the mid-2000s, where Arab militias known as the Janjaweed targeted sub-Saharan African groups.
The seven-month conflict has promoted sexual violence through various channels. Armed forces have directly engaged in rape and other forms of sexual abuse, while heightened economic and societal instability creates conditions conducive to increased sexual exploitation, trafficking, and other abuses. Simultaneously, the breakdown of justice, healthcare, and other systems compounds the challenges survivors face in accessing support.
Sudan’s history of conflict and SGBV
Sudan’s history has been marred by decades of conflict, with various armed conflicts and civil wars taking place in different regions of the country. The use of SGBV as a tool of war has been a deeply troubling and recurring feature within this tumultuous history. Even after the separation of South Sudan, Sudan continued to grapple with internal conflicts in regions like South Kordofan, Blue Nile, and the Nuba Mountains. These conflicts perpetuate the cycle of SGBV as a means of asserting dominance, instilling fear, and undermining communities. During this protracted conflict, SGBV is frequently employed as a weapon of war by various armed factions, including the RSF, SAF, and armed militia groups. These heinous acts are often aimed at intimidating and demoralizing local populations, as well as exerting control over resource-rich areas. A press release by the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies highlighted an incident on 13 February 2023 where three SAF officers attempted to rape a female patient, reinforcing the gravity of the situation.
The patterns of SGBV in Sudan’s history of conflict reflect not only the acute vulnerability of women and girls but also the broader consequences of war on communities. SGBV has left deep scars, both physically and psychologically, impeding recovery and reconciliation efforts.
Efforts to address SGBV in Sudan, including awareness campaigns, legal reforms, and humanitarian work, have been made. However, the legacy of these conflicts still lingers, exposing vulnerable populations to the horrors of SGBV. In the Darfur region, SGBV has since the early 2000s been utilised as a method of ethnic cleansing and the systematic destruction of communities, with women and children being the primary targets. Understanding this dark history is essential to building a more peaceful and just future for Sudan.
Role of local and international organisations in documenting and providing support to victims of SGBV
As of August 2023, the Women’s Future Organisation recorded 103 incidents of rape in South and West Darfur. On 2 November 2023, the UN Joint Human Rights Office in Sudan had received credible reports of more than 50 incidents of sexual violence linked to the hostilities, impacting at least 105 victims – 86 women, one man and 18 children. Twenty-three of the incidents reportedly involved rape where 26 were of gang rape and three were of attempted rape. According to the report, at least 70 percent of the confirmed incidents of sexual violence recorded – 37 incidents in total – are attributed to men in RSF uniforms, eight to armed men affiliated with the RSF, two to men in unidentified uniform, and one to the Sudan Armed Forces. The remaining cases involved as yet unidentified men. Survivors have alleged that they were forcibly taken from their homes by soldiers and subjected to sexual assault. Others were allegedly raped in their homes. Others have been raped while fleeing the conflict. For example, on 22 May 2023, four South Sudanese women were allegedly raped on the road between El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, and El Debeibat. They were allegedly taken from the bus they were traveling in, gang-raped by elements of the RSF, and then released. There is also a growing number of reported abductions and gang rapes in Khartoum, particularly targeting girls aged between 12 and 17, with many incidents implicating armed men in RSF uniforms. Furthermore, RSF-uniformed men have been reportedly targeting the homes of Eritrean and Ethiopian refugee women in Omdurman and Khartoum North.
Female human rights defenders, journalists, and activists have not been spared either. They have been raped or threatened with rape to intimidate them and stop them from doing their work. In May 2023, a journalist was reportedly abducted from her house in El Geneina by an armed group and beaten until she lost consciousness. On regaining consciousness, eight gunmen reportedly came to the deserted place where she was kept, questioned her about the documentation of human rights violations she was working on, and raped her. On 2 August 2023, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders reported that a WHRD was allegedly twice threatened with rape and assassination if she continued to report on human rights violations.
In the face of insufficient support systems, local women’s organizations have taken a leading role in providing critical services, including shelter, food, water, healthcare, and psychological support. One such initiative is the Peace for Sudan Platform, supported by the UN Women Sudan Country Office. This platform includes over 49 women-led initiatives and organizations from across the country. Their priorities include providing protection and psychological support to survivors of SGBV and increasing women’s participation in creating sustainable peace. The UN Women Sudan Country Office has also established situation rooms to document, monitor, and raise awareness about conflict-related sexual violence and other forms of gender-based violence. They have implemented a referral system for survivors and provide a range of survivor services, including clinical, psychological, and legal support.
It is important that these violations are investigated and perpetrators are held to account. Therefore, Sudanese authorities must proceed with an independent, and impartial investigation into the allegations of rape and threats of rape, to find and prosecute the perpetrators. This includes lifting the immunity that is granted to perpetrators by national laws. The authorities must also appoint a special prosecutor to the cases should the victims wish to proceed with a criminal prosecution whilst local authorities must guarantee the victims protection from reprisal. RSF and SAF must allow victims free access to rehabilitation services and humanitarian support.
Lastly, the international community must condemn the sexual violence and pressurize Sudan to ratify the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa and domesticate the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
Lilian Ajok
Legal Program Officer
ACJPS
