War Crimes: Sudan militias rife with sexual violence says HRW
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Sudanese militias fighting the government of war crimes, according to ArabNews and Agencies, on December 16th.
HRW said it had documented dozens of cases of sexual violence against women and girls between seven and 50, including gang rape and sexual slavery.
The attacks, which occurred mainly between December 2023 and March 2024 in South Kordofan state, “had not been widely reported” said the watchdog, and constituted “war crimes.”
The allegations come against the backdrop of Sudan’s 20-month civil war, which pits the Sudanese government forces against the paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a conflict which has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
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According to the HRW report, gang-rapes were often committed at victim’s homes or neighbours’ homes, frequently in front of their families.
A 35-year-old women said she was raped by six RSF soldiers, who broke into their house and killed her husband and son when they tried to intervene.
“They kept raping me, all six of them,” she said.
Another victim, an 18-year-old, described how she was kidnapped and imprisoned with 33 other women and girls as sex slaves.
HRW said: “On a daily basis for three months, the fighters raped and beat the women and girls, including the 18-year-old survivor, crimes that also constitute sexual slavery.
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“These acts of sexual violence, which constitute war crimes… underscore the urgent need for meaningful international action to protect civilians and deliver justice.”
A previous report by HRW stated that attacks were mainly against ethnic Nuba civilians in the South Kordofan state, but another dimension is that the state is home to a major portion Sudan’s Christian minority, while many insurgents are Islamic militias.
The Human Rights Watch, in the report, pressed the UN and African Union to “urgently deploy a mission to protect civilians in Sudan.”
ArabNews and Agencies
