GENEVA — The leader of a United Nations-associated fact-finding mission examining human rights violations in Sudan announced that the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has been held responsible for widespread sexual violence in the regions under its control.
Mohamed Chande Othman condemned the “staggering violence” prevailing in Sudan following the outbreak of conflict over 18 months ago, which erupted into open combat between the Sudanese armed forces and the RSF, initially sparking confrontations in the capital city, Khartoum, and subsequently spreading throughout the nation.
In a phone call from Zimbabwe, where he was participating in a conference, Othman stated, “Our findings attribute sexual violence based on gender to the RSF specifically in locations such as West Darfur, the broader Darfur region, greater Khartoum, and in al-Gezira.” However, he mentioned that a renewed mandate from the U.N. Human Rights Council could empower his team to examine valid claims of sexual exploitation by the armed forces of Sudan as well.
On Tuesday, the fact-finding mission unveiled a more detailed version of its report that had been first introduced to the rights council in September, which includes 47 member nations. This extensive report highlighted incidents of gang rape, sexual slavery, and the abduction of victims in regions dominated by the RSF.
“It is crucial to underscore the horrific nature and the widespread patterns of violence that have occurred,” emphasized Othman. The findings indicated that sexual violence, alongside claims of enforced marriages and human trafficking for sexual exploitation, primarily occurred during assaults on towns and cities.
The report also noted, “Victims and witnesses reported that perpetrators often used weapons, such as firearms, knives, and whips, to both intimidate and coerce them,” detailing acts of violence that included physical assaults like punchings and beatings with sticks occurring before and during instances of rape.
Furthermore, the findings showed that men and boys were reportedly victims of sexual violence while in detention, facing abuses such as rape, threats of rape, enforced nudity, and beatings targeted at their genitals, which signifies a need for further examination.
Amid an ongoing crisis, violence across Sudan has persisted unchecked. Reports emerged on Sunday from a coalition of medical professionals and the United Nations highlighting that RSF fighters participated in a multi-day assault in east-central Sudan, resulting in the deaths of over 120 individuals in one locality.
On Tuesday, the U.N. migration agency revealed that as many as 14 million people—accounting for more than 30% of Sudan’s total population—have been forcibly displaced either within the country or into neighboring countries due to the ongoing conflict, establishing it as the largest displacement crisis globally.