Sexual violence used as weapon of war throughout conflict in Sudan

GENEVA — Sudan’s warring parties are using sexual violence as a weapon of war, and “gender-based violence has increased more than two-fold” since the conflict erupted in April 2023, according to U.N. Women, a United Nations agency that focuses on women’s rights and social progress, in its new report.

“Sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war throughout this conflict,” Hodan Addou, U.N. Women’s regional director for East and Southern Africa, told journalists in Geneva at the launch of the report Friday.

“The ongoing violent conflict has exacerbated the risks faced by women and girls in Sudan, with rising reports of conflict-related sexual violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, particularly in Khartoum, Al Jazeera, Darfur and Kordofan states,” she said, speaking from South Sudan via a video link.

Authors of the report have issued what they call a “Gender Alert” to highlight the catastrophic impacts of Sudan’s conflict on women and girls. They note that nearly 5.8 million internally displaced women are particularly vulnerable, with many cases of sexual violence going unreported “due to fear of stigma, retribution and the lack of adequate support.”

'It is ... despicable'

Addou observed that rape and sexual violence is used as “a way of breaking communities and tarnishing the social fabric of a community by targeting the most vulnerable.”

“It is a despicable and human rights violation,” she said. “The impact this conflict has had on the lives of women and children is horrendous.

“Many of them are seeing their loved ones killed in front of their eyes. They have seen brutal sexual violence against children, against women used as a way of putting more trauma, more fear on communities.”

The report finds more than 6.7 million people needed services related to gender-based violence by December 2023, underscoring that “this figure is estimated to be much higher today.”

“While men and boys also are victims of gender-based violence, most of these cases involve women and girls,” it says.

The United Nations calls Sudan one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Since rival generals of the Sudanese Armed Forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces plunged the country into war more than 17 months ago, an estimated 20,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands injured.

Some 10.8 million people are displaced inside Sudan and an additional 2 million as refugees in neighboring countries, making Sudan the largest displacement crisis in the world. According to the U.N., Sudan now is also the world’s largest hunger crisis, with nearly 26 million people facing acute hunger.

'Women and girls are eating least and last'

Addou said women and children are suffering most from the looming famine gripping the country.

“With 64% of female-headed households experiencing food insecurity compared to 48% of male-headed households in 10 states, women and girls are eating least and last,” she said, adding that they also are disproportionately affected by the lack of safe and easily accessible water, sanitation and hygiene.

The World Health Organization reports people lack access to health care services because of insecurity, attacks on medical facilities and a shortage of medicines and medical supplies.

The U.N. health agency says critical services, including maternal and child health care, the management of severe acute malnutrition, and the treatment of patients with chronic conditions have been discontinued in many areas because 70% to 80% of hospitals are not functional.

“Across Sudan, women are dying from pregnancy or childbirth-related complications, whether or not those pregnancies are a result of gender-based violence, or whatever,” Dr. Margaret Harris, WHO spokesperson, said. “Women are not getting the standard care that saves your life and saves the life of your child during childbirth or before childbirth.”

She added that childhood vaccinations have been disrupted, as have disease surveillance and vector control, and this “has created the perfect conditions for the spread of disease outbreaks.”

'Calling for protection'

U.N. Women is calling for urgent action to protect women and girls and to provide them with access to food, safe water, and sexual and reproductive health services.

“We are calling for protection for all women and girls, in particular the retributions that they need to address. We are calling for accountability and the provision of justice to all of the victims,” Addou said.

“The high-level sexual violence and exploitation being used as a weapon of war is preventing women from accessing much-needed resources … and the psychosocial support they need because of the chaotic nature of this conflict.

“All those engaged in this violent conflict must be held to account,” she said. “We cannot let Sudan become a forgotten crisis.”