Sexual violence used as a weapon of war during the conflict in Sudan

Sudan’s warring factions use sexual violence as a weapon of war, and “gender-based violence has more than doubled” since the conflict broke out in April 2023, according to UN Women, a United Nations agency focused on women’s rights and rights. social progress, in its new report.

“Sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war during this conflict,” Hodan Addou, UN Women’s regional director for East and Southern Africa, told journalists in Geneva on Friday at the launch of the report.

“The ongoing violent conflict has exacerbated the risks women and girls face in Sudan, with increasing reports of conflict-related sexual violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, especially in Khartoum, Al Jazeera, Darfur and Kordofan states,” she said from South Sudan via video link.

The report’s authors have issued a so-called “Gender Alert” to highlight the catastrophic impact of the conflict in Sudan on women and girls. They note that nearly 5.8 million internally displaced women are particularly vulnerable, with many cases of sexual violence going unreported “due to fear of stigmatization, retaliation and lack of adequate support.”

“It’s… despicable.”

Addou noted that rape and sexual violence are used as “a way to fracture communities and erode the social fabric of a community by targeting the most vulnerable.”

“It is a despicable violation of human rights,” she said. “The impact this conflict has had on the lives of women and children is devastating.

“Many of them see their loved ones murdered before their eyes. They have seen brutal sexual violence against children, used against women as a way to cause more trauma and more fear in communities.”

The report shows that more than 6.7 million people required services related to gender-based violence in December 2023, underscoring that “this figure is estimated to be much higher today.”

“Although men and boys are also victims of gender-based violence, most of these cases involve women and girls,” the report says.

The United Nations calls Sudan one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. An estimated 20,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands injured since rival generals from the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces plunged the country into war more than 17 months ago.

About 10.8 million people are displaced within Sudan and another two million are refugees in neighboring countries, making Sudan the world’s largest displacement crisis. According to the UN, Sudan is now also the world’s worst hunger crisis, with almost 26 million people facing acute hunger.

‘Women and girls eat the least and last’

Addou said women and children are suffering the most from the threat of famine gripping the country.

“With 64% of female-headed households facing food insecurity, compared to 48% of male-headed households in 10 states, women and girls eat the least and last,” she said, adding that they are also disproportionately affected by the lack of safe food supplies. and easily accessible water, sanitation and hygiene.

The World Health Organization reports that people do not have access to healthcare due to insecurity, attacks on medical facilities and shortages of medicines and medical supplies.

The UN health agency says crucial services including maternal and child health, treatment of severe acute malnutrition and treatment of patients with chronic conditions have been halted in many areas as 70% to 80% of hospitals are non-functional.

“Across Sudan, women are dying from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications, whether those pregnancies are the result of gender-based violence or otherwise,” said WHO spokesperson Dr. Margaret Harris. “Women don’t get the standard care that saves your life and saves your child’s life during labor or before delivery.”

She added that childhood vaccinations have been disrupted, as has disease surveillance and vector control, and this “has created the perfect conditions for disease outbreaks to spread.”

‘Calls for protection’

UN Women calls for urgent action to protect women and girls and provide them with access to food, safe water and sexual and reproductive health care.

“We call for protection for all women and girls, especially the retaliation they face. We call for accountability and justice for all victims,” Addou said.

“The high-level sexual violence and exploitation used as a weapon of war prevents women from accessing much-needed resources… and the psychosocial support they need due to the chaotic nature of this conflict.

“Everyone involved in this violent conflict must be held accountable,” she said. “We cannot allow Sudan to become a forgotten crisis.”