Rape and sexual violence are widespread in Sudan’s ongoing civil war, according to a United Nations investigation released on Tuesday. The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan reported that paramilitary forces, particularly the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), are committing sexual violence on a “staggering” scale, with children not spared from the abuse and women and girls being abducted for sexual slavery.
“There is no safe place in Sudan now,” stated Mohamed Chande Othman, chair of the investigation. Since the conflict erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army (SAF) led by Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the RSF, formerly commanded by his deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the civil war has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the situation in Sudan as a “nightmare” characterized by hunger, violence, illness, and “unspeakable atrocities.” The fact-finding mission indicated that the conflict has led to thousands of deaths, injuries, significant displacement, and the destruction of homes, schools, and hospitals. Over 11.3 million people have been displaced, with nearly three million fleeing to neighboring countries, according to the UN refugee agency.
The report states that more than 25 million people—over half the population—are facing acute hunger. Both the SAF and RSF, along with their allied militias, have committed large-scale violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, many of which could qualify as war crimes or crimes against humanity.
While both sides have engaged in arbitrary arrests and torture, the mission highlighted that the RSF is responsible for the majority of reported sexual violence cases. The RSF has been implicated in gang rapes and the abduction and detention of victims in conditions resembling sexual slavery. The mission described the level of sexual violence as staggering and expressed deep concern for vulnerable civilians, particularly women and girls.
In the western Darfur region, reports indicate that sexual violence is carried out with extreme brutality, using firearms, knives, and whips. Victims have been as young as eight and as old as 75, often subjected to physical abuse before and during the rape, sometimes in the presence of their relatives. The report also noted credible accounts of rape and gang rape of men and boys.
Chaired by Othman, the three-member mission was established by the UN Human Rights Council in October 2023 to investigate alleged human rights violations in the conflict. The 80-page report expands on the commission’s earlier findings presented in September. It calls for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire and emphasizes the need for an independent force with a mandate to protect civilians. The mission also advocates for extending the arms embargo on Darfur and the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court over the entire country, calling for the surrender of former president Omar Al-Bashir to the ICC.