Sudan: 'Sudan's Children Face Recruitment, Sexual Violence, and Lasting Trauma' - Amnesty Researcher

What the report says

Amnesty International researcher Janine Morna says children in North Darfur, Sudan, have been among the civilians most harmed by the conflict, with cases of recruitment by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), sexual violence, starvation and prolonged interruption to schooling. The comments were published by Dabanga in an interview from Amsterdam with coverage focused on El Fasher, the North Darfur capital, where fighting and siege conditions have severely affected families.

According to the report, Amnesty’s research included interviews with 39 children and drew on corroborating material such as family accounts, health information and other evidence. Morna said boys were recruited in several ways, including through local mobilization tied to RSF-linked groups and through abductions during attacks on villages. Girls, she said, faced rape and other forms of sexual violence. The report also cites a case involving a 13-year-old girl who was abducted and repeatedly gang-raped, though it does not say this was the only or most recent case documented.

The article also highlights the humanitarian toll of the siege of El Fasher. Children and infants reportedly struggled to obtain enough food, and Amnesty said some children had died where food was unavailable. Morna warned that malnutrition, displacement and years without education could leave lasting physical and psychological damage, with consequences that may affect Sudan’s recovery for years.

The report further says Amnesty believes the abuses were not isolated incidents but part of a broader, coordinated pattern in North Darfur. It names an RSF commander, Major General Gedo Hamdan Ahmed Mohamed, also known as Abu Shouk, in connection with detention oversight in El Fasher.