The phrase “A bullet in your eye” still echoes in Samar’s* ears as she recalls the traumatic assault by members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The Sudanese woman remembers how they restrained her, shot several of her companions at the abduction site, and continued with brutal beatings, physical and sexual assaults — including rape — against the women and girls, some of whom were young children.
These assaults occurred in May 2023, only weeks after the war began, in a house in the Jabra area of Khartoum, after women and girls were abducted from their homes and nearby streets while trying to obtain food and medicine.
Since the onset of the conflict in Sudan in April 2023, a large number of Sudanese, particularly women, have suffered sexual assaults; among the victims are girls, women with disabilities, and elderly women, as well as men and children, though to a lesser extent. Cases of sexual violence, including rape, gang rape, forced marriage, forced prostitution, and sexual enslavement, have grown increasingly widespread as the conflict has intensified across various regions.
Obtaining accurate statistics on the number of rape cases is challenging due to worsening security conditions, disrupted communications in several areas of Sudan, and survivors’ preference for silence. These factors, along with additional difficulties in reaching the victims, have led to varying estimates from different sources.
According to the campaign Together Against Rape, the number of reported sexual assault cases in Sudan reached 505 between the start of the conflict and July 30, 2024.
The UN Population Fund estimates that up to 6.9 million women and girls in Sudan could be at risk of sexual and gender-based violence this year.
Physical and Psychological Pain
Samar explains that from the moment they were abducted, brutal attacks left them with excruciating physical pain, at times causing her to lose consciousness from the severity of the beatings. She recalls, “They killed seven or eight girls right in front of us.”
Two days after Samar fell into the RSF’s hands, the Sudanese army attacked the group holding them, prompting the RSF members to engage with the army and leave the women behind. Samar and the others managed to escape in a poor physical and psychological state, making their way to the Al-Kalakla area south of Khartoum, where she stayed with relatives for a week. Afterward, she began her journey out of Sudan, aided by people she encountered, including a Sudanese family she met at the border.
Samar now lives in a refugee camp in East Africa, where she has attempted suicide several times due to her deteriorating mental health following the assault by the RSF.
Hundreds of other women and girls who were subjected to sexual assaults, including rape and enslavement, during the ongoing war in Sudan are also suffering from severe psychological conditions, as well as social and health challenges. These cases include forced pregnancies, abortions, and numerous forced marriages.
Salma*, another survivor, spoke to us about her journey seeking safety amid divorce, the aftermath of rape, complex social issues, severe mental health challenges, and deteriorating economic conditions. “I was assaulted during our second displacement in front of my children, and my husband divorced me when I told him,” she shared.
RSF members attacked Salma on her way out of Al-Jazira State, raping her in front of her infant, then leaving her. She continued her displacement journey with her children until she reached her husband, who had fled from Khartoum to eastern Sudan. A week later, Salma told her husband what had happened, and he divorced her.
Many women who endured assaults are now living in complicated situations, with some remaining in their areas, trapped by gunfire and far from necessary healthcare. The turmoil of war adds further psychological and social pressure, putting them at even greater risk. Other women face displacement or exile, and some are pregnant and awaiting the legal procedures for abortion.
No Access to Hospitals
In August 2024, according to the Horn of Africa Women’s Network (Siha), a young woman named Maryam*, aged 26, died in Wad Madani, Al-Jazira State, central Sudan, due to severe infections resulting from rape in February 2024. This assault occurred when her family’s home was raided by “Rapid Support Forces” (RSF).
In July 2023, Siha received reports indicating that RSF members had kidnapped women and girls and were holding them as hostages in specific locations in North Darfur. A source quoted by Siha witnessed multiple women and girls tied and detained in vehicles in the area of Wada’a in North Darfur, western Sudan.
As rape cases become more widespread, doctors still working in Sudan’s hospitals and treating women and girls subjected to sexual violence expect a rise in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) during the war, largely due to the surge in rape and sexual assault, along with the difficulty of accessing timely medical care. Doctors believe that a significant portion of the perpetrators may themselves carry STDs, given the repeated nature of their crimes. However, accurate statistics on infections among survivors are unavailable, as some have not undergone necessary testing.
Doctors expressed concern over their inability to provide timely medical protocols, such as post-exposure treatment within an hour after an assault, due to security conditions that have forced most health institutions to close in unsafe areas. Additionally, some survivors do not disclose their experiences until a considerable time has passed.
According to a prior statement from the Preparatory Committee of the Sudanese Doctors’ Syndicate, shared in a September 2023 conversation with one of its members, there are three main reasons limiting survivors’ access to hospitals. Firstly, movement is restricted, and there is no safety in war-torn streets. Secondly, treatments are unavailable. Lastly, the social stigma surrounding sexual assault deters survivors from seeking help, which is particularly sensitive given the cultural contexts of their communities.
For those able to contact the committee, guidance is provided for meeting with cooperative doctors. At the onset of the war, the committee expected a higher number of sexual assault cases, recognizing the use of rape as a punitive tool by conflict groups in Sudan. Consequently, they foresee that sexual assaults will continue as long as the war persists.
Women facing forced pregnancies encounter additional barriers to obtaining legal abortions within the necessary time frame, alongside the health risks associated with pregnancy or unsafe abortion.
In April 2024, Siha reported 14 pregnancies resulting from rape in various Sudanese states during the war.
The Usual Weapon of War
The use of sexual assault and rape is not new; it has been deployed in the wars in Darfur since 2003 and in Blue Nile, where hundreds of women have suffered rape, gang rape, and other forms of sexual violence.
Historically, rape has been associated with war and armed conflict, where it is wielded as a “weapon of war,” as described by Amnesty International. It targets both women and men, though it predominantly affects women. This does not imply that sexual violence against men is rare; many male survivors avoid speaking about their experiences or seeking support due to the social stigma surrounding male survivors of rape, as many communities view such assaults as a blow to masculinity.
Whether inflicted on men or women, the goal of rape as a weapon is to humiliate and inflict psychological harm. In a 2017 study titled “The Role of Rape in War,” university professor Dara Cohen pointed out that certain armies recruiting child soldiers use rape to reinforce tendencies toward violence, especially in societies that equate masculinity with dominance and control. According to the United Nations, systematic rape is often used as a “weapon of war” in ethnic cleansing crimes.
In her book Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape, American feminist journalist Susan Brownmiller notes that wartime rape reveals a deep-seated contempt among some men toward women, with war providing an ideal context for expressing this disdain.
Sarah Yahya, a member of the Together Against Rape campaign, reported that the organization documented numerous cases of rape between April 15, 2023, and May 31, 2024. She stressed the need for urgent medical and psychological support for survivors, including medical treatment for physical injuries, preventive treatment for sexually transmitted infections (such as HIV and hepatitis), and comprehensive care for pregnant women, including nutrition and supplements. Psychological support should also include intensive therapy to help survivors cope with the trauma of rape and support groups to help them process the experience.
Rape Leading to Pregnancy
Huda, 17, was raped by RSF members while seeking work near Al-Hameediah Camp in Central Darfur in October 2023. Although she received medical treatment, she remains emotionally shattered. Central Darfur, particularly around Al-Hameediah, saw numerous incidents of rape against girls and the abduction of young people during this period. Huda recalled, “They didn’t just rape the women; they killed my brother too.”
She was unable to reach a safe location or access medical support until three months after the assault, at which point she discovered she was pregnant. Now a mother, she worries about her child’s future in a society that stigmatizes children born from such circumstances.
In a statement issued on March 17, 2024, the Preliminary Committee of the Sudanese Doctors’ Syndicate reported that RSF members raped a nurse at a hospital in Al-Hasahisa, Al-Jazira State, while she was on duty, after she witnessed them assaulting other women and began screaming for help.
In November 2023, the African Center for Justice and Peace Studies called for justice and accountability for 69 cases of rape and abduction in South Darfur, including 43 cases of gang rape and ten abductions involving sexual slavery. The center also documented 51 incidents of sexual violence against women and girls in Zalingei and Garsila in Central Darfur.
According to the center, survivors identified perpetrators as men dressed in RSF uniforms and allied militias, with some perpetrators wearing Sudanese armed forces uniforms.
The Women’s Anti-Violence Unit, part of the Ministry of Social Welfare, which monitors, documents, and provides support for cases, reported 191 rape cases from the start of the conflict in Sudan up until June 20, 2024.
Salima Ishaq, head of the Women’s Anti-Violence Unit, explained that the increase in recorded rape cases recently is partly due to the resumption of communication with cases that had been out of reach, including those in Al-Ubayyid from the early days of the war. These cases were documented only in recent weeks, following a relative stabilization of security conditions. The unit has reached survivors in Al-Jazira and Sennar, where women have received medical services.
Salima added, “So far, we have eight cases from Al-Jazira who have accessed medical services or managed to leave, but we know the real number is likely much higher. There are even more cases from Nyala, Geneina, and Khartoum that were only updated in the past four months.”
She highlighted the extensive health consequences of sexual assaults. For example, early in the war, the treatment protocol, which includes preventive medication for STDs and pregnancy management, was only partially implemented in Khartoum, raising the risk of hepatitis transmission.
“So far, we have assisted eight cases of pregnancy, but other cases arrived too late for legal abortion, as the pregnancies were in advanced stages. However, there has been no issue in arranging for childbirth and providing alternative families to care for these children.”
She also noted that psychological support is available, albeit limited, and only for those receiving ongoing assistance. However, the issue lies in that psychological support alone is insufficient; survivors also need personal safety, family stability, and overall community improvement. These remain distant prospects amidst the ongoing war, hampering the effectiveness of recovery efforts.
Ban on Sexual Violence
International humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions and their Protocols, prohibits rape and all forms of sexual violence during war. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (adopted on July 17, 1998) also criminalizes rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, and forced pregnancy (as defined in Article 7-2), designating them as offenses subject to international prosecution.
However, survivors of these crimes face significant challenges in reporting them, as most reside in unsafe areas where police departments ceased functioning at the onset of the war. Cases of forced pregnancy resulting from rape are handled according to the 1991 Sudanese Penal Code. Article 135 of this law stipulates that “anyone who intentionally causes a woman to miscarry shall be punished with up to three years of imprisonment, a fine, or both.”
Article 135 also states that punishment is waived if the pregnancy resulted from rape and has not exceeded 90 days. If the pregnancy surpasses 90 days, the penalty may increase to five years of imprisonment and a fine, along with potential compensation payments. However, many victims struggle to reach safe areas in time, limiting their ability to access necessary legal and medical support.
Sudan’s acting Attorney General, Al-Fatih Tayfour, issued new directives to prosecutors regarding cases of rape and sexual violence after the war began. These directives include allowing cases to proceed outside jurisdictional limits, assigning the Family and Child Prosecution to investigate them, cooperating with civil society organizations, and coordinating efforts to combat rape and sexual violence during the war. The directives also allow for abortion in cases of pregnancy resulting from rape, in accordance with the law.
Within this context, attorney Inaam Atiq reported several filed rape cases, where some survivors were granted permission by the prosecution to undergo abortions for pregnancies resulting from these assaults. However, Atiq noted that these cases stalled at the investigation phase and were not referred to court due to difficulties in identifying perpetrators, often from official forces, and the disruption of judicial systems in most states.
Atiq stated, “Since the outbreak of the war and the rise in forced pregnancies among survivors, it has become essential to help those wishing to end pregnancies resulting from rape access safe abortion procedures, as permitted by law.” She explained that despite challenges, lawyers, service providers, and supporters for survivors have succeeded in enabling some women to undergo safe, legal abortions with medical care following extensive legal and religious discussions with prosecutors, police, and health authorities.
Atiq continued, emphasizing that “justice for rape and sexual violence survivors under current deteriorating conditions requires coordinated efforts from various parties. Survivors must be encouraged to report when it is safe, witnesses should be urged to document cases accurately and securely, and medical reports should be obtained and kept in safe locations.” She also stressed “the importance of training those who work with survivors, including lawyers, medical personnel, emergency teams, resistance committees, and local administrations, on documentation methods. Cooperation with local and international NGOs is crucial to professionally document crimes and gather evidence.”
On the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, June 19, 2024, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that attacks on healthcare facilities have severely impacted the fundamental right to healthcare for survivors of sexual violence. The statement documented at least 133 women, girls, men, and boys subjected to conflict-related sexual violence, though the actual number is likely much higher, as many victims are unable to report. The statement noted that most survivors were not provided with immediate or adequate medical services, with Sudanese laws, especially those requiring medically certified evidence during investigations, obstructing survivors’ access to healthcare, resulting in serious health complications for many women and a generation of children born as a result of rape.
While justice remains elusive, Huda continues to care for her child, who bears the burden of social stigma, Samar lives in a refugee camp haunted by memories of rape, and the justice system remains bound, unable to hold those responsible for Maryam’s death accountable.
