Human Rights Watch (HRW) has released an 89-page report titled “Khartoum No Longer Safe for Women: Sexual Violence Against Women and Girls in Sudan’s Capital.” The report provides a detailed account of cases of sexual violence in Sudan.
Laetitia Bader, Deputy Director for Africa at HRW, said the following about the report: HDK members “They raped, gang-raped and forced into marriage countless women and girls in residential areas in Khartoum.” This is considered a serious human rights violation.
According to the information provided in the report, Between April 2023 and February 2024only in Khartoum 262 cases of sexual violenceIt is emphasized that these cases are particularly common in areas controlled by the HDK.
The report stated that “girls as young as 9 and women as old as 60 were subjected to rape and gang rape.” In addition, according to the report, “at least 4 of the women treated by health workers interviewed by HRW lost their lives as a result of the violence they were subjected to.”
“NGO members raped, gang-raped and forced into marriage countless women and girls in residential areas in Khartoum. According to medical providers, some victims reported being raped by up to five NGO members,” the report said.
The report also shared information that in some cases, NGO members sexually assaulted women and girls in front of their family members.
The African Union and the United Nations (UN) were called to establish missions, and the report noted that “fewer (rape) cases were attributed to members of the Sudanese Armed Forces.” It was noted that a slight increase in cases was reported after the Sudanese Armed Forces took control of the Omdurman district of the capital Khartoum in early 2024.
HRW has called for the African Union and the UN to work together to establish a new mission to protect civilians in Sudan and prevent sexual and gender-based violence.
