Sudan Records 2,250 Rape Cases Against Women Since the War Began

Sudan’s State Minister for Human Resources and Social Welfare, Salma Ishaq, said that around 2,250 cases of rape against women have been documented since the war began in April 2023.

Ishaq said the cases were recorded in several parts of Sudan, including Khartoum, Gezira, Darfur and Kordofan, while warning that the actual number is likely much higher because many survivors do not report sexual violence due to stigma, fear of retaliation and difficulties accessing affected areas.

According to Ishaq, 98% of the documented rape cases involving women and children were attributed to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), while the remaining cases were attributed to civilians who allegedly took advantage of the widespread availability of weapons.

She also said authorities had documented around 400 births resulting from rape since the conflict began. However, she stressed that the figure does not represent the full scale of the problem because some women fled to neighboring countries during pregnancy and others were unable or unwilling to report what happened to them.

Ishaq further alleged that dozens of women were abducted from Khartoum and Gezira states, with some allegedly trafficked and sold in Chad and the Central African Republic. She said human rights organizations and the United Nations had received information concerning such cases.

The minister also discussed children associated with the conflict. She said 70 children who had fought alongside the RSF were handed over to authorities in Nile State by the International Committee of the Red Cross. The children received psychological and social support as well as vocational training before being reunited with their families.

She added that around 300 people under the age of 18 who had been associated with the RSF remained at a center in Soba, east of Khartoum, where UNICEF is expected to provide rehabilitation and training.

The figures highlight the continuing risks faced by women and children in Sudan amid the war, including sexual violence, abduction, trafficking and the recruitment of children into armed groups.