50+ new instances of rape reported in South Darfur

A distressing pattern of sexual violence in Sudan continues to unfold, as Sudan’s Emergency Lawyers group reported new instances of rape allegedly committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) against more than 50 people in South Darfur.

New instances of rape perpetrated by RSF members were reported yesterday by Rehab Mubarak of Sudan’s Emergency Lawyers group.

56 victims were reported in South Darfur, including five girls and three boys. One of the victims died, the lawyer told Fadwa Khazraji of El Jareeda newspaper.

A report by the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS), covered by Radio Dabanga on November 24, underscored a distressing pattern of gender-based violence in Sudan, calling it a ‘weapon of war’. At the time, women’s organisations had documented over 120 confirmed cases of rape as of October, with the actual number likely much higher.

Back in July, senior United Nations (UN) officials had voiced shock and condemnation at increasing reports of gender-based violence in Sudan – including conflict-related sexual violence against displaced and refugee women and girls – since fighting erupted in the country in mid-April.

On November 30, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) expressed deep concern about the rising violence in Sudan, “particularly sexual violence committed in the conflict, primarily by the RSF”.

The Council had received a report in August from experts of the Special Procedures of the UNHRC* regarding serious violations occurring in Sudan, such as “sexual exploitation, slavery, trafficking, rape, and acts tantamount to enforced disappearances, some potentially racially, ethnically, or politically motivated”.

As the world observed the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25, international voices highlighted the plight of women and girls in Sudan, enduring the eighth month of war.

Just a day later, Radio Dabanga continued to receive horrific testimonies of violence against Sudanese women and girls.

* The experts are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN human rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms. Special Procedures mandate-holders are independent human rights experts appointed by the Human Rights Council to address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. (Source: UN Website)