By HAN News Desk
KHARTOUM — Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been accused of committing systematic sexual violence against dozens of women fleeing recent clashes in the Darfur region, according to a new report issued by the Sudanese Doctors’ Network (SDN).
The medical network said it had documented the rape of at least 19 women who escaped heavy fighting in the city of El-Fasher in North Darfur. The survivors, some of whom arrived while pregnant, reached the town of Al-Dabba in Northern State, where medical teams recorded their cases and provided initial treatment.
In its statement, the SDN condemned the assaults as war crimes and grave violations of international humanitarian law, warning that the attacks appear to be part of a deliberate RSF strategy of using sexual violence as a weapon of war and a tool of political coercion. Doctors believe the real number of victims is significantly higher, noting that many women remain reluctant to report sexual violence due to stigma, fear of retaliation and deep trauma.
Speaking to local media, SDN spokesperson Dr Mohammed Elsheikh said the pattern of rape around El-Fasher is “far larger than what has so far been documented.” He confirmed that medical teams have also recorded 23 additional cases involving women and girls aged between 15 and 23, who were attacked while fleeing violence in the Tawila district west of El-Fasher. Dr Elsheikh said these recorded cases represent only a small portion of what has occurred, as many areas remain inaccessible because of ongoing fighting.
Human rights organisations have repeatedly warned that women and girls in Darfur face severe risks as they attempt to flee frontline areas, where RSF forces have tightened control over major routes and surrounding villages.
Sudan has been engulfed in a brutal nationwide conflict since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF. The war has devastated entire cities, displaced millions and left humanitarian agencies struggling to reach communities in need. The United Nations says tens of thousands of people have been killed, more than 12 million have been forced from their homes—creating the world’s largest displacement crisis—and over 30 million now require urgent humanitarian assistance.
The UN and international rights groups have repeatedly accused both warring parties of grave abuses, but reports of sexual violence attributed to RSF fighters in Darfur have triggered particular alarm. UN officials warn that without immediate protection measures and unhindered humanitarian access, the situation for women and girls in Darfur could deteriorate even further.
