SEXUAL violence against women and girls is being seen as the defining characteristic of the worsening civil war in Sudan, as more evidence of the widespread use by all sides of rape as a weapon of war.
An open letter by 253 women across Africa and in the diaspora has called for urgent international action in response to a conflict described as being “fought on the bodies of women and girls”.
It refers to reports of gang rapes of girls as young as nine, and older women, including grandmothers raped in front of their daughters and granddaughters. Male relatives are frequently forced to watch. Women have also reported being targeted because of their ethnicity.
The open letter says: “Many of the survivors are from the Masalit community, of African ethnic origin. However, women from Arab tribes were also targeted if they were married to darker skinned men or have children with a darker skin tone.
“There are also reports of sexual exploitation of women in Omdurman who are forced into transactional sex with soldiers to receive humanitarian aid, or access to abandoned properties where they forage for items to sell to feed their families.”
Soldiers on all sides in the conflict are carrying out attacks with impunity, having learned from the recent conflict in Tigray, in Ethiopia, that they can do so, the signatories write. In Tigray, “sexual violence was employed systematically as a weapon of war, bearing the genocidal hallmarks of events in Rwanda and Bosnia.”
The letter calls on the International Criminal Court to investigate violence against women and provide humanitarian assistance, including psychosocial support for survivors, besides bringing women into the peace talks.
“Finally, although Sudanese women were at the forefront of pro-democracy movements, they are woefully underrepresented in the ongoing peace negotiations. A concerted effort must be made to ensure women are sufficiently represented, and that all negotiations include a recognition of the appalling impact of CRSV [conflict related sexual violence] on survivors and their families, and firm assurances that all identified perpetrators will be held accountable.”
Civil war broke out in Sudan in April 2023 between the Rapid Support Forces and Sudan Armed Forces, which were due to merge as part of an agreement to move to democracy (News, 21 April 2023). A UN fact-finding mission published last month showed that both sides were engaging in sexual violence against civilians. These violations might amount to war crimes, the report found.
Attacks are reported to be rising, especially in Khartoum, and also in Darfur and Kordofan.
Women were also disproportionately affected by the lack of sanitation, hygiene, and water, and their lack of access to education increased the risk that they would be subject to child marriage and genital mutilation, the regional director for UN Women, Hodan Addou, said.
Dr Khataza Gondwe, from Christian Solidarity Worldwide, called on the international community to act: “Significant progress must also be made towards addressing the impunity surrounding CRSV and other grave violations, and ensuring accountability. Women and girls in Sudan have shown remarkable resilience throughout this conflict. They must not be left behind, and must have a central role in all aspects of the global response.”
Signatories include writers, lawyers, doctors, members of the Mothers’ Union, and teachers.
Sudan has been described by aid agencies as the world’s most forgotten humanitarian crisis. The war has already killed tens of thousands of people and created the world’s largest displacement and hunger crises.
More than ten million people — about one fifth of the population — have been forced from their homes inside the country, and another two million have fled to neighbouring states, the UN reports. Half of those who remain face crisis levels of hunger. Famine was declared in one area in Darfur in August, and experts have said that there is a risk of famine in 13 other areas.