There has been an increase in Victims of sexual violence as the Sudan War progresses. More and more cases are being reported to police stations as women show up in hospitals for help.
Zainab, a pseudonym, was fleeing from Sudan’s capital to find safety. In the process, a fighter from the paramilitary group stopped her, pinned her down and held a rifle to her chest then raped her. Her sister, 2 other ladies and herself were sexually assaulted at that moment.
The horrors that are happening in the Sudan conflict are not only impacting the men who are fighting but also the women who have become victims. There is no safe place to go to. Not their homes, not on the streets and definitely not on the battleground.
Sudan’s army Chief, General Abdel Fattah Burhan and the RSF leader, General Mohammed Hamdan Adagalo have accused each other of committing such acts. These two are the leaders of the two groups that are currently fighting and causing havoc in Sudan.
The war is happening around Khartoum and Darfur at the moment. This is the same zone where Omar Al- Bashir( former president of Sudan who was ousted in 2019) unleashed Janjaweed. Janjaweed is a militia group that later formed the RSF. This group had a history of committing violent acts such as genocide, war crime, and humanity crimes according to the International Crimes Committee.
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Victims of sexual assault not getting assistance
The women who have been victims of these crimes cannot receive the treatment they need. Medics say that the hospitals have either been ransacked or destroyed by the fighting groups. The only solution is that they manage to get them HIV medication and emergency contraceptives whenever they can.
The Human Rights Lawyer, Johanne Henry states that both of these sides have committed notorious acts of sexual violence in the past. The government combating violence against women and Children unit mentioned that they had recorded 49 cases of assaults in the first two weeks of the war.
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The unit chief, Salima al-Khalifa said that all but six victims have identified the perpetrators to be dressed in an RSF uniform. Mentioning that there have been cases being filed and reported every single night and day.
” There’s not a single woman who feels safe in Khartoum, not even in their houses, ” al-Khalifa said.
