Survivors recount RSF gang rape in Sudan; infants among victims

In Sudan, victims of intersexual unit are often forced to endure successful silence, their tears shed wherever nary 1 tin perceive them. But for women similar Mariam*, the fearfulness of warfare followed her adjacent arsenic she tried to flee.

Attempting to flight from Gezira State to Khartoum aboriginal past year, Mariam’s conveyance was stopped by equipped men. She was the lone rider singled out.

“We were coming from Gezira State… They stopped america connected the thoroughfare and forced america down,” Mariam told Al Jazeera Arabic’s analogous Asma Mohammed.

“They said they wanted to hunt us. Two of them consulted with each other, past called maine over,” she recounted, her dependable trembling. “They took maine to a place… It was an bare country with a mattress. They told maine to prevarication down, and past they raped me.”

Mariam returned to her household successful the waiting car, shattered.

“She told america instantly what happened… How galore of them determination were,” her aunt told Al Jazeera. “Of course, they were from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).”

‘Is determination a miss successful this house?’

Mariam’s communicative is not unique. In el-Fasher, the calamity repeats itself with adjacent greater brutality.

Um Kulthum*, a aesculapian student, told Al Jazeera she was forced to witnesser wide rape and execution earlier becoming a unfortunate herself.

“The RSF forces entered … and besieged the area,” Um Kulthum said. “They killed my uncle, the 1 who raised maine … close successful beforehand of us.

“We were 4 girls, on with our neighbour’s daughter. The RSF forces past gang-raped america successful a brutal manner.”

These exclusive accounts align with a harrowing caller study released past November by the Strategic Initiative for Women successful the Horn of Africa (SIHA), which documented astir 1,300 cases of intersexual and gender-based unit crossed 14 states since the warfare began successful April 2023.

Speaking to Al Jazeera successful November, Hala Al-Karib, the determination manager of SIHA, explained that these are not random acts, but a strategy rooted successful viewing women arsenic “property”.

“Kidnappings often hap astatine the opening of an invasion… When homes are entered, determination is simply a circumstantial question asked: ‘Is determination a miss successful this house? Are determination young women?'” Al-Karib said.

“We person heard from galore witnesses who were told by RSF soldiers: ‘I americium coming to instrumentality this girl.'”

Sexual slavery and trafficking

The unit extends beyond contiguous battle to semipermanent captivity. Al-Karib described a terrifying world of “sexual slavery” and forced labour.

“Women are kidnapped for ‘sexual slavery’, specifically young, middle-aged women, and besides to service the soldiers – forced labour, washing clothes, cooking,” Al-Karib told Al Jazeera.

Even much disturbingly, she revealed that the exploitation has crossed planetary lines.

“Women are besides kidnapped for the intent of enslavement and merchantability successful markets,” Al-Karib said. “They are transported crossed the borderline to African countries neighbouring Sudan.”

She added that women’s bodies are being utilized “as weapons successful this warfare … to decision communities”, leaving survivors crushed by stigma and often refusing to instrumentality to their families retired of shame.

Punishing the Masalit

The systematic quality of these crimes was further confirmed by Arnold Tsunga, a lawyer and erstwhile Africa manager for the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), who led a fact-finding ngo to eastbound Chad to interrogation refugees fleeing the violence.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Arabic from Harare, Tsunga described his ngo to Adre and Geneina arsenic “heartbreaking”.

“The RSF are the ones who attacked the Masalit group… They were the bulk of those subjected to intersexual unit and rape,” Tsunga said.

“It is bittersweet to spot that unit is present being utilized systematically arsenic a means and limb of warfare … to forcibly region radical from their onshore and to punish Masalit men who tried to support their land.”

Tsunga warned that the illness of the regularisation of instrumentality has created an “absolute environment” for these crimes.

“The RSF are present the liable authorization successful these areas… There are nary justness institutions working,” helium explained. “Impunity leads to much impunity … and this occupation is related to rewarding criminals.”

Targeting infants

The standard of the unit has overwhelmed section hospitals. At the Omdurman Maternity Hospital, the manager wide described a signifier of atrocities that spares nary 1 – not adjacent babies.

“The rapes are successful precise ample numbers, acold much than what is recorded,” Imad al-Din Abdullah al-Siddiq told Al Jazeera.

“More than 14 pistillate infants little than the property of 2 were raped. An infant! This is documented by NGOs,” helium said.

Al-Siddiq noted that the infirmary received a flood of victims aged 11 to 23, mostly unmarried girls. “They travel arsenic a effect of pregnancy… Abortions were performed for those little than 3 months… For those much than 3 months, we didn’t person a licence to abort, truthful the gestation continued, and births took spot here.”

UNICEF has confirmed much than 200 cases of intersexual battle connected children since the commencement of 2024, immoderate little than the property of five.

A systematic pattern

The SIHA study outlines a calculated three-stage signifier accompanying RSF advances: Initial location invasions and looting accompanied by rape, followed by attacks successful nationalist spaces, and yet semipermanent detention.

This unit occurs against a backdrop of worsening famine. The United Nations’ World Food Programme warned it volition chopped rations successful Sudan from January owed to terrible backing gaps, leaving millions astatine hazard of starvation.

Meanwhile, planetary unit is mounting. The United Kingdom precocious sanctioned 4 elder RSF commanders implicit alleged wide killings and intersexual violence.

But for survivors similar Mariam and Um Kulthum, the diplomatic moves connection small solace. As Al-Karib noted, the planetary concern successful reintegrating these women remains “very, precise small”.

*Names person been changed to support the individuality of survivors.