A group of UN human rights experts condemned on Wednesday the widespread and persistent violence against women and girls in Sudan as the armed conflict enters its third year. They found that many of the attacks were attributed to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and called for urgent action to end these atrocities.
The experts highlighted that the armed conflict in Sudan, involving the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF, has led to systematic violations targeting women and girls. These violations included rape, trafficking, abductions and killings. Many victims of these violent attacks contemplated suicide due to the trauma they experienced, with some survivors expressing a desire to end their lives to escape the ongoing violence.
The UN experts noted that these accounts reflected a significant decline in the mental health of women and girls, compounded by a lack of support and aid due to the collapse of services amid violent clashes between the warring parties. Survivors of conflict-related sexual violence were unable to access medical or psychological care, which resulted in women giving birth in unsanitary conditions and increased maternal mortality rates.
In addition to sexual violence, they observed a rise in enforced disappearances of Sudanese women, who were reportedly abducted from displacement camps, markets, and shelters for sexual exploitation. The violent attacks also targeted women human rights defenders and frontline workers, who faced rape, murder, and harassment for assisting survivors and documenting abuses.
The experts concluded their statement by emphasizing that the ongoing violence against women and girls in Sudan is connected to the erosion of security in the country due to the armed conflict, which has severely compromised the protection of women and girls. While they stated that they have contacted the Sudanese government regarding these issues, they stressed that an international response is still necessary to address the escalating violence.
The armed conflict between the SAF and the RSF has been devastating for Sudanese citizens, plunging the country into a critical humanitarian crisis. Alongside the internal displacement of millions of Sudanese and the imminent risk of famine, the conflict also led to a surge in gender-based violence and sexual assaults against women. The UN’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan has previously called for a ceasefire between the warring parties and the adherence to international humanitarian law. Additionally, a UN report revealed that Sudan’s political leaders were responsible for worsening the crisis by allowing impunity, corruption, and systemic human rights violations to persist.
