Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of committing widespread sexual violence against women and girls in southern Sudan during the ongoing conflict. Reports detail numerous cases, including gang rape and sexual slavery, as the humanitarian crisis intensifies. The United Nations has condemned the situation, calling for urgent international intervention to protect civilians and address the epidemic of sexual violence in the region.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has issued a grave accusation against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their affiliated militias, alleging widespread sexual violence against women and girls in southern Sudan amidst an ongoing conflict that began in mid-April 2023. In HRW’s recent report, numerous cases of sexual violence, including gang rape and forced sexual slavery, were documented, involving victims aged seven to fifty in South Kordofan state. These harrowing testimonies highlight a broader trend of violence and human rights abuses that have escalated during Sudan’s protracted war, prompting dire humanitarian conditions and international scrutiny.
The report indicates that sexual violence has been used systematically as a weapon of war, with accounts emerging of women being assaulted in front of their families, abducted, and subject to horrific treatment. Survivors described being gang-raped by RSF fighters who also committed acts of murder against family members attempting to protect them. According to HRW, the scale of these atrocities underscores a growing humanitarian crisis, with the United Nations categorizing the situation in Sudan as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Additionally, the UN’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission has called attention to the vast number of abuses committed by both the army and paramilitary forces, singling out the RSF for particularly egregious acts of sexual violence. Despite these findings, RSF representatives have rejected such claims, branding them as propaganda. In the wake of these revelations, HRW has urged the international community to respond with urgent protective measures for civilians caught in this conflict.
HRW detailed particularly disturbing instances of women who were abducted and held in conditions that amount to sexual slavery, with some victims chained and subjected to continuous violence. Calls for significant international action have intensified, with concerns over what has been termed an “epidemic of sexual violence” facing Sudanese women. The organization has recommended that the UN and African Union deploy missions to protect vulnerable populations amid escalating hostilities and a complete breakdown of law and order in the region.
The conflict in Sudan has endured for over 20 months, propelling the nation into what the United States has described as the worst humanitarian crisis globally. The violence primarily stems from clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, leading to extensive human rights violations. Reports from organizations like Human Rights Watch and the United Nations have continuously documented various forms of abuse, particularly against women, emphasizing sexual violence as a prevalent issue during the ongoing conflict. The situation remains critical, with millions displaced and facing severe vulnerability.
In conclusion, the allegations of widespread sexual violence committed by RSF operatives highlight a humanitarian crisis of alarming proportions in Sudan. The documented testimonies of survivors shed light on the horrific reality faced by women and girls in the conflict. This situation necessitates immediate and effective international action to safeguard civilians and hold perpetrators of these crimes accountable, thereby ensuring the protection of fundamental human rights in Sudan.
Original Source: www.newarab.com
