Sudanese medics report 19 women raped by RSF forces in Darfur

A Sudanese medical network has reported a severe incident of sexual violence allegedly committed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) against women fleeing conflict. According to the Sudan Doctors Network, 19 women, including two who were pregnant, were raped while attempting to escape from the city of El-Fasher to Al-Dabbah in northern Sudan.

Details of the Attack and Condemnation

In a statement published on social media platform X, the network detailed that the assaults took place as the women were in transit, escaping the violence in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state which fell under RSF control in October. The group condemned the acts as "gang rape" and a blatant violation of international law, noting that the two pregnant survivors are currently receiving specialized medical care.

Calls for International Investigation and Protection

The medical network urged the international community and human rights organizations to take immediate action. It called for the deployment of independent investigative teams to document the atrocities, the establishment of protected routes for displaced women and children, and the creation of safe humanitarian corridors to prevent further attacks on vulnerable civilians during displacement.

Context of the Broader Conflict

This incident occurs within the wider frame of Sudan's devastating civil war, which began in April 2023 between the national army and the RSF. The RSF's capture of El-Fasher in late October was accompanied by reports of massacres and the displacement of over 40,000 people. The paramilitary group now controls all five states of the Darfur region, while the army holds most other territories, including the capital, Khartoum, in a conflict that has killed thousands and displaced millions.