Rape is used as a weapon of war in Sudan – DW – 02.07.2024

Halima (not her real name) has lived in various refugee camps for as long as she can remember. Every time she thought she was safe, another attack occurred, forcing her to flee again and again.

She told DW that the memory of how many times she was turned upside down keeps her awake at night.

In June 2023, fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked the area of ​​El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, where she lived with her family.

Halima heard the militants arrive on their motorbikes. “They found me in my room,” she said. “Four of them threatened me with weapons. One choked me and raped me.”

She suffered numerous injuries but was eventually able to escape across the border to Chad. There she felt safe but was unable to find the medical help she so desperately needed after her ordeal.

Many women and children in the camps in Chad have spoken about this problem, and reports of sexual violence within the camps are also increasing.

Gender-based violence along ethnic lines

The majority of people who fled across the border from war-torn Sudan now live in camps in eastern Chad – in places like Adre.

Halima is one of them. She believes that the RSF militia raped her primarily because she belongs to the Massalit ethnic group. The Massalit were the majority of the population in the town of El Geneina – until the RSF brutally attacked its citizens last year.

Another young woman in the camp, Hadija (name changed), confirms Halima’s impression.

She remembers her attacker asking her about her tribe. “I didn’t tell him that I was Massalit,” she told DW. “I said that I belonged to the Fur tribe.”

He threatened to kill her if she was a Massalit, adding that the Massalit would never own land in Sudan again.

Hawa (name changed) survived a similar attack in June 2023.

She told DW that an RSF fighter entered her house and shot dead her 20-year-old cousin. She then heard her mother and aunt being beaten.

“He also beat me with a whip, a stick and a water container,” she said. “Then he threw me on the bed and raped me.”

It was only days later that she finally found a hospital. Her wounds from the attack had to be stitched up and she still feels pain when she walks.

The stories of these survivors are confirmed by Human Rights Watch, which has documented numerous similar atrocities and warns of a possible genocide against the Massalit in West Darfur.

RSF did not respond to DW’s requests for comment.

The world’s biggest refugee crisis

In a report on gender-based violence published in late 2023, the UN refugee agency UNHCR reported that women and girls in Sudan have borne the brunt of the consequences of the conflict there, including an “alarming” increase in sexual violence.

Many asylum seekers elsewhere say they have experienced or witnessed harassment, kidnapping, rape, sexual assault, sexual exploitation and other forms of violence on their journey to safety.

For over a year, the Sudanese armed forces have been fighting a bitter battle against the RSF for control of the country.

The conflict has forced millions of people to flee their homes since April 2023, bringing the number of displaced people to around 12 million by June 2024.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) reports that more than two million people have sought refuge in neighboring countries since the conflict began. But the vast majority of them – over ten million people – remain in Sudan. This makes the refugee crisis the largest in the world.

Aid organizations point out that there is a lack of financial resources to deal with the evolving situation in Sudan and the wider region.

Increased rape rates

Abdirahman Ali, CARE International Country Director for Sudan, has confirmed this rapid increase in gender-based violence across Sudan, particularly in areas currently experiencing the most violence, such as Darfur, Khartoum, Al Jazirah State and others.

Ali told DW that violence against women and girls continues, especially in refugee camps. The situation is exacerbated by difficulties in providing emergency food aid, clean water, medical care and nutrition.

The biggest challenge is getting medical supplies and food for the internally displaced across the border from Chad to Sudan, he said.

“There are many areas where we cannot access or even provide assistance due to the ongoing conflict and restrictions. This makes it impossible for us as aid workers to reach people in need,” he said.

According to the IRC, 90 percent of people crossing borders in the region in search of safety are women and children. One in five young children suffers from acute malnutrition.

Psychological support for victims of gender-based violence is also difficult to obtain, Ali said: “There is a lot of displacement. Communities and internationally displaced people move from one place to another, which complicates efforts to provide ongoing support to this population.”

Escape to Chad – and beyond

Even before the conflict broke out, Sudan was suffering from a severe humanitarian crisis resulting from ongoing political instability and economic pressure in the country.

The war has only exacerbated this situation, leaving nearly 25 million people – more than half of Sudan’s population – in need, according to the IRC.

More than 600,000 people have crossed the border into Chad, which had already taken in 400,000 Sudanese refugees before the conflict broke out.

For this reason, the IRC has also expanded important services to support Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries outside Chad, including Uganda, Ethiopia and South Sudan.

Human rights obligations ignored

Ali calls on the parties involved in the conflict to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law and to protect civilians and infrastructure.

In order to improve the human rights situation, aid workers providing assistance must also be given protection, he said.

“The parties to the conflict must sit down at the negotiating table and ensure that this crisis is ended,” he said. “It is causing untold human suffering to the Sudanese people.”

Despite the trauma, Hawa and Halima both hope to return to their previous lives. Hawa dreams of completing her economics degree in order to work “as an accountant or business economist”.

Halima also wants to return to her old life. “If the situation improves, I want to study,” she says. “I am a midwife, but I want to be a doctor.”

Collaboration: Mariel Müller

Edited by: Sertan Sanderson