Head of a UN-backed team of specialists accuses RSF paramilitaries in Sudan of sexual abuse as the war rages

The head of a UN-backed team of specialists accused RSF paramilitaries in Sudan of sexual abuse as the war rages.

The head of a UN-backed fact-finding team looking into abuses and violations of human rights in Sudan said on Friday that the militia Rapid Support Forces were to blame for widespread sexual violence in areas they control.
Mohamed Chande Othman has spoken out against the “staggering violence” in Sudan since the war between the Sudanese military and the RSF began more than 18 months ago. The fighting began in Khartoum, the capital, and spread to the rest of the country.

A Tanzanian lawyer called from Zimbabwe on Friday to say, “We said in our report that we attribute sexual gender-based violence to RSF in West Darfur, in Darfur, in greater Khartoum, and in Al-Gezira (state).” He was in Zimbabwe for a conference.

A new order from the UN Human Rights Council, on the other hand, would let Othman’s group of independent experts look into “credible” claims that the Sudanese military sexually exploited people.

Tensions between Sudan’s military and militia leaders broke out in the capital, Khartoum, in the middle of April 2023. They quickly spread to other parts of the country, including western Darfur. Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a group that has been tracking the war since it began, says that more than 24,000 people have died so far.

On Tuesday, the mission that investigated the situation shared a longer version of the report it presented to the 47-member rights council in September. The more general report talked about gang rapes, sexual slavery, and kidnappings that happen in places that the RSF controls.

“It’s important to bring attention to how horrible and widespread the violence was,” Othman said.

His team discovered that attacks on towns and cities resulted in the majority of sexual violence, forced marriages, and cross-border sexual trafficking.

According to the most recent report, victims and witnesses consistently reported that attackers used weapons such as guns, knives, and whips to intimidate and exert control over them. The report also stated that the attackers punched, hit them with sticks, and lashed them before and during the rape.

According to reports, sexual violence against men and boys in detention included rape, threats of rape, forcing them to remain naked, and beatings on their genitalia, all of which need further investigation.

The fighting in Sudan has never stopped. A group of doctors and the UN said on Sunday that RSF soldiers in Jazirah State in the east-central part of Sudan killed more than 120 people in one town over the course of several days.

The UN’s migration office said on Tuesday that the conflict has forced 14 million people, or more than 30% of the country’s population, to leave their homes and go to live with family or friends elsewhere. This makes it the biggest displacement crisis in the history of the world.

The UN’s Antonio Guterres strongly criticized the RSF attacks in Iraq. His spokesman said that there were horrifying reports of many women and girls being killed, detained, and sexually abused, as well as homes and markets being looted and farms being set on fire.

“These kinds of actions may be very bad violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN. “We must hold those who commit such serious crimes accountable.”

Dujarric said that the head of the UN reiterated his call for a ceasefire and voiced concern about the worsening humanitarian situation in Sudan. He also asked that all parties make it easier for humanitarian aid to get to those who need it.