Sudan: Women's Groups Report Widespread Sexual Violence and Detention Across Sudan

What the report says

Women's rights groups in Sudan say sexual violence, detention and other abuses against women and girls remain widespread amid the country’s conflict, with fear and insecurity making many cases difficult to document. The report, published by Dabanga and distributed by AllAfrica, cites activists who say the pattern of abuse spans several areas, including Khartoum, Darfur, Kordofan, White Nile and Kassala, and is linked in some cases to alleged involvement by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Amira Osman of the No to the Oppression of Women initiative described the case of a young woman who fled Omdurman with her mother and was allegedly gang-raped during their journey; her mother died en route, and the survivor later learned she was pregnant. Osman also said 28 Filipino women were detained in a building in Khartoum in August 2023 and that some were raped before being evacuated with help from women’s groups.

Azza Mohamed Ahmed of Women for Peace and Security said activists had recorded more than 225 cases of sexual violence and other abuses in a displacement camp in Darfur, while also reporting detention of women in Kabkabiya, El Fasher and Nyala. Hala El Karib of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa said attacks continued in multiple regions, including repeated violence against displaced women and girls, sexual exploitation and torture. The groups said weak protection systems, conflict and limited documentation are obscuring the full scale of the abuses and increasing the risks for women trying to survive or work.