Sudan investigation maps commanders linked to wartime rape

What the report says

An investigation by the British open-source group Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) has mapped 25 commanders who were present at five locations in Sudan during periods when sexual violence was reported. The findings, published by Al Jazeera, cover sites linked to abuses attributed to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Sudanese Armed Forces, and allied formations during the country’s three-year war.

The report uses verified video, survivor testimony, and other documentation to connect commanders’ appearances and roles to allegations in places including el-Fasher, Garni, Wad Madani, Gezira and related displacement or detention sites. Among those identified is Khademallah Khashmin Herika, also known as Shiraz Khalid, described by CIR as a major with the RSF’s female contingent. CIR says one video shows her making remarks that amount to incitement to rape, though it could not confirm where the clip was filmed. Other commanders identified include senior RSF figure Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo and officers who later moved between the RSF and army-aligned forces.

Al Jazeera reports that CIR’s work links command structures to documented abuses, but does not prove each named person personally committed or ordered rape. The investigation is intended to support further accountability efforts rather than act as a criminal finding.

The article also notes that Britain sanctioned 15 senior commanders on October 26 over suspected atrocities, including conflict-related sexual violence. The UK said the measures followed CIR reporting and included asset freezes and travel bans, while the Sudanese forces involved have previously denied such allegations.