Amnesty researcher: ‘Sudan’s children face recruitment, sexual violence, and lasting trauma’

Children in North Darfur have been recruited by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), subjected to sexual violence and left facing the effects of starvation and years without education, according to Amnesty International researcher Janine Morna.

Children in Sudan are not only being caught up in the violence of war but are also being deliberately targeted, according to researcher Janine Morna of international human rights advocacy organisation Amnesty International.

Janine Morna is an Amnesty International human-rights researcher specialising in children affected by armed conflict. Her current role is Thematics Researcher – Children, within Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Programme. She has researched conflicts in Niger, north-east Syria, Ukraine, Haiti, and Sudan.

In an exclusive interview at Radio Dabanga studios in Amsterdam (scroll down for full transcript), Morna describes to Radio Dabanga’s English Editor, Andrew Bergman how the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have recruited boys in North Darfur to fight, herd livestock used by the force, and gather intelligence about opposing forces.

She says the investigation found that recruitment happened in different ways. Groups allied with the RSF sometimes worked with community leaders and others to mobilise young people, including older boys and, in some cases, younger children, to fight alongside the force. In other cases, young men and older boys were abducted during attacks on villages and forced or compelled to fight.

‘Children are caught up in the killing, bombardment and displacement, and suffer the same violations as adults, but they are also deliberately targeted for a range of other violations…’

Morna says one RSF leader whose unit numbered about 90 told researchers that around 40 per cent of its members were young people.

Girls have faced a different pattern of abuse, she says, with rape and other forms of sexual violence documented in the investigation. When young women were rounded up, there was not necessarily any consideration of whether they were under 18.

The youngest case describes by Morna involved a 13-year-old girl who was abducted and gang-raped repeatedly over several days.

“Children are caught up in the killing, bombardment and displacement, and suffer the same violations as adults,” she says. “But they are also deliberately targeted for a range of other violations.”

Starvation and the impact on young children

The investigation, which included interviews with 39 children, also examined the effects of the siege of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, where children struggled to find enough food.

Morna says children and babies were particularly vulnerable because they could not survive prolonged food shortages in the same way as adults. Researchers documented cases in which children were not eating regularly and found that four children had died because food was unavailable. She says the actual number was believed to be much higher.

The researchers also heard of babies who could not breastfeed and were surviving on mixtures of water and sugar.

Amnesty spoke to two malnutrition health experts to understand the consequences of going for a prolonged period without adequate nutrition. Morna says children who survive for months eating animal feed can still suffer devastating long-term effects.

‘Malnutrition can affect children’s health, growth, and development, including those under five and older children. Its consequences can extend into the next generation. If girls experience stunted growth, for example, their ability to carry children may be compromised…’

Malnutrition can affect children’s health, growth, and development, including those under five and older children. Its consequences can extend into the next generation, she says. If girls experience stunted growth, for example, their ability to carry children may be compromised.

Morna says the impact on children could be missed if an investigation relied only on adult survivors, satellite imagery, or video footage. Children’s accounts helped researchers understand what life under siege meant from day to day, including the difficulty of finding food and the particular risks faced by babies and young children.

How researchers verified children’s accounts

Morna says Amnesty approached interviews with children carefully, both to protect them from further harm and to test the reliability of the information gathered.

Researchers often spoke to older children first. With younger children, they might not have access to the referral services and psychosocial support needed when recounting traumatic experiences.

Morna says testimony from older children could be as credible as testimony from adults. As with any interviewee, researchers sought to verify what they heard by comparing accounts from different people and looking for corroborating evidence.

That could include digital material relating to an incident, interviews with family members and, where relevant, health documentation. In a case involving the rape of a child, for example, researchers might also speak to the child’s mother about what she understood had happened.

“We don’t rely on one person’s testimony,” Morna says, describing the process of cross-checking accounts. “We speak to multiple people and look for corroborating evidence.”

‘The effects of the conflict are not limited to immediate physical harm. None of the children interviewed had had access to education for several years…’

Years without education and the risk of further violence

The effects of the conflict are not limited to immediate physical harm. Morna says none of the children Amnesty interviewed had had access to education for several years.

Many were keen to continue their studies and had ambitions for the future, but their education had effectively stopped in El Fasher when the conflict broke out in 2023. Displacement had prevented them from returning to learning in any meaningful way.

Morna warned that the loss of education could have long-term consequences for Sudan’s ability to rebuild its professional workforce and economy.

She also highlighted the psychological effects of violence and displacement. Without support to address trauma, she says, there was a risk that cycles of violence could continue.

When researchers asked older boys how they imagined their futures, some saw a choice between continuing their education where they had been displaced and returning to seek revenge on those who had destroyed their families.

‘Families were often dealing with several forms of trauma at once: relatives killed, fathers missing after detention and sisters who had been raped…’

Morna says families were often dealing with several forms of trauma at once: relatives killed, fathers missing after detention and sisters who had been raped. When families reached a displacement site or a relatively safer place, access to services was often limited, and their basic needs were not always met.

That left few opportunities for children and adults to recover from what they had experienced.

Many children had spent much of their lives in displacement around El Fasher. Some had been born in camps and barely knew their villages or where their families came from. They had grown up without the safety and stability needed to develop and contribute to society.

Morna says Sudan would be dealing with the consequences for many years.

Evidence of coordinated abuses

The report also examined whether the violations documented in North Darfur were isolated acts by individual fighters or part of a wider campaign.

Morna says Amnesty had identified two commanders in the report. Interviews with people who had been detained helped researchers understand the degree of control exercised by senior figures, she says, because detainees had repeated contact with particular commanders and a clearer understanding of the RSF network operating in the area.

One commander named in the report was [Major General Gedo Hamdan Ahmed Mohamed (popularly known by his alias ‘Abu Shouk’]. Morna says researchers understood him to be responsible for much of the detention and oversight of detention in El Fasher.

‘The campaign is widespread, systematic, and coordinated… the pattern of violence is not made up of sporadic or one-off incidents. Research documented repeated cases of rape and sexual violence, killings, and detentions in particular towns, as well as the targeting of particular areas and ethnic groups…’

She describes the wider campaign as “widespread, systematic, and coordinated”, saying the pattern of violence was not made up of sporadic or one-off incidents. Researchers documented repeated cases of rape and sexual violence, killings, and detentions in particular towns, as well as the targeting of particular areas and ethnic groups.

Morna says the consistency of the patterns across locations and individuals suggested that the abuses could not be explained simply as the actions of a few rogue fighters.

“To me, that suggests a high degree of command responsibility,” she says. Senior leaders, she added, needed to be investigated both for what they had done and for what they had failed to do to control their forces.

Amnesty calls for protection and accountability

Morna says the international community should take more concrete action to protect civilians and make it more costly for those waging war to continue in this way.

She called for greater scrutiny of the economic factors enabling the conflict, and says the United Arab Emirates had an important role in backing the RSF with resources, weapons, and other support. Cutting off some of those enablers, she argued, could change the course of the conflict.

Amnesty also believes an independent, neutral protection force is needed on the ground, particularly in areas where violence is concentrated and civilians are repeatedly displaced in search of safety.

Morna says the organisation was using the report to lobby for the international community to move towards authorising some form of protection presence. She describes this as a meaningful way to protect civilians.

Accountability was another priority. Morna pointed to commanders such as Abu Lulu, who she says had filmed themselves committing atrocities and appeared to act with impunity. She argued that investigative mechanisms examining abuses in Sudan needed adequate resources and funding, and that international cases brought against alleged perpetrators should be supported.

The aim, she says, should be to prevent the patterns of violence documented in North Darfur from being repeated elsewhere in Sudan, including in areas that have become new hotspots.

‘A window of opportunity’

Despite the scale of the abuses, Morna says she was hopeful that international attention on Sudan was changing.

Since the launch of Amnesty’s report City Under Siege, Children Under Fire, the organisation had been engaged in advocacy. Morna says the response from media, international audiences, stakeholders, and states suggested that the conversation about Sudan was different from what it had been a year or two earlier.

‘Events in El Fasher are an important turning point in recognising the severity of the harm suffered by civilians…’

She describes the events in El Fasher as an important turning point in recognising the severity of the harm suffered by civilians.

“There is an international community here that cares about what is happening in Sudan,” she says, adding that people were mobilising to try to act before the violence spread further.

‘The increased global attention creates a unique window and opportunity to press for meaningful and bold action…’

Morna says the increased global attention created a “unique window and opportunity” to press for meaningful and bold action. She had seen civil servants and humanitarian workers making efforts to engage, she says, and added that Sudan would remain a priority for Amnesty International.

The long-term challenge, however, would extend well beyond the end of the fighting. Children who have endured sexual violence, hunger, displacement, and years without schooling will need sustained support if they are to recover and rebuild their lives.

For Morna, documenting what has happened is only one part of the response. Protecting civilians, supporting investigations, and ensuring that senior figures are held accountable are also essential if the abuses describes in the report are not to be repeated.

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Transcript of interview:

Radio Dabanga: Janine Morna, welcome to Radio Dabanga. To introduce you to our listeners, Janine is an Amnesty International human rights researcher specialising in children affected by armed conflict. Her current role at Amnesty is thematic researcher on children within Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Programme. She has researched conflicts in Niger, north-east Syria, Ukraine, Haiti, and Sudan.

Last night, 1 October 2026, you spoke to an audience at De Balie, the venue in Amsterdam, about your report, which you partly initiated and co-authored, called City Under Siege, Children Under Fire. I want to focus on children, because what is happening to them is difficult to get your head around. You initiated this investigation, and much of your work at Amnesty focuses on children affected by armed conflict. What did you discover in North Darfur that made you conclude that children were not simply victims caught up in the violence, but were in some cases being deliberately targeted?

Janine Morna: There are a couple of different violations specifically affecting children. I’m thinking in particular of the way boys are being targeted by the Rapid Support Forces to fight, herd livestock they use, and collect intelligence and information about potential opposing forces.

We found this happened in two main ways. Groups allied with the Rapid Support Forces would often work with community leaders and others to mobilise young people—older boys, and sometimes younger boys as well—to fight alongside the RSF. In other cases, when the RSF attacked a particular village, young men and older boys would be abducted and forced or compelled to fight.

We spoke to one RSF leader whose unit numbered about 90. He said that around 40 per cent of the unit was made up of young people. So, we’re looking at a very young population of men, younger boys and older boys helping to wage this violent campaign.

Girls, in particular, are also being targeted for rape and sexual violence. When young women are rounded up, there is not necessarily any real consideration of their age or whether they are under 18. We documented a number of cases of rape and sexual violence. The youngest case, I think, involved a 13-year-old girl who was abducted and gang-raped repeatedly over several days.

Time and again, we see that children are caught up in the killing, bombardment, and displacement, and suffer the same violations as adults. But they are also deliberately targeted for a range of other violations.

Radio Dabanga: You interviewed 39 children as part of this investigation. What can children tell us about what happened in and around Darfur, and El Fasher specifically, that might otherwise be missed in an investigation based on adult survivors, satellite imagery, and videos? And how did you establish the credibility of their testimony while protecting them from further harm?

Janine Morna: That’s a really important question. One reason we wanted to shed light on children, particularly in El Fasher, was the starvation that was happening at the time.

One important distinction is that when an adult is unable to secure food, they may be able to survive in a way that children—and babies in particular—cannot. We tried to flesh this out in the report, because when a city is under siege, it can be difficult to understand what that means on the ground, day to day.

We documented not only that children were not eating regularly, but also that four children had died because of the lack of available food. We believe the actual number was much higher.

We looked at babies who were unable to breastfeed and were consequently surviving on mixtures of water and sugar.

We spoke to two malnutrition health experts, I think, to understand the implications of going for a prolonged period without appropriate nutrition. Even if you survive several months eating animal feed, the long-term consequences can be devastating, particularly for children under five, but also for older children. Their health, growth and development can be affected, with consequences that can even pass from one generation to the next.

For example, if young women and girls experience stunted growth, their ability to carry children can be compromised, affecting the next generation as well.

It is really important for people to understand the disproportionate impact of the conflict. That can be difficult to capture if you speak only to adults or look at satellite imagery and other material.

As for the credibility of the testimony, we often speak to older children first, for a number of reasons. We want to work ethically, and when children are younger, we may not have the appropriate referral services and psychosocial support to help them as they relive the trauma of describing their experiences.

I find that the credibility of testimony from older children is almost the same as that of adults. We verify it in the same way: first, by triangulating information. If we document a particular attack, we don’t rely on one person’s testimony. We speak to multiple people and look for corroborating evidence.

In our case, that can include digital evidence relating to the incident. In some cases, we speak to family members. For example, if a child has been raped, we might also interview her mother, who can provide her account of what she understands her child to have experienced, and review any health documentation.

It is the same kind of triangulation that we would use for any interviewee.

Radio Dabanga: That’s very clear. From our experience reporting for Radio Dabanga, and looking at the figures in your report, it seems this is only the tip of the iceberg: these are the cases you have managed to verify. The numbers are mind-blowing, almost difficult to take in.

What have you observed among the children in Sudan you have spoken to? They have seen a great deal for their age, but are they precocious, or do you see a lack of development?

Janine Morna: There are a couple of things I would note. None of the children we spoke to had had access to education for several years.

You’re looking at really bright people with lots of aspirations. They want to engage and continue their education, which effectively stopped in El Fasher when the conflict broke out in 2023. They have not been able to continue it in any meaningful way while displaced.

That has devastating intergenerational effects when it comes to developing a professional workforce that can return, help Sudan grow and rebuild its economy.

Another major concern is that, unless the trauma and psychological pain caused by these experiences are addressed, cycles of violence will continue. When you speak to older boys about where they see their lives going, the choice can be: ‘Either I continue my education here, or I go back and get revenge on the people who have devastated and destroyed our families.’ That is why psychosocial support will be really important.

People are experiencing unprecedented levels of trauma. Within a single family, there may be multiple deaths, a father missing because he was detained, and sisters who have been raped. Any one of those incidents is hard to process, but people are experiencing all these traumas compounded.

When people reach a displacement site or somewhere relatively safer, they have very limited access to services. Some are not even in formal refugee camps, and their basic needs are not being met. The opportunities to heal, recover and process what has happened are already very limited.

It is also important to note that El Fasher is surrounded by major camps for internally displaced people. Many children were born in displacement. They have barely known their villages or where they came from, because they have lived with conflict for almost their entire lives.

These are people who have never experienced safety—the conditions people need in order to develop meaningfully and contribute to the economy. I think Sudan will be dealing with those long-term effects for many years to come.

Radio Dabanga: What you say about people growing up without an environment of safety holds true for anyone in Sudan under 40, simply because there have been civil wars, especially in Darfur, and now there is conflict across the country.

Amnesty says that some of the conduct documented in North Darfur amounts to crimes against humanity, and you mentioned that eight of the 11 crimes against humanity have been documented. What is the strongest evidence you have of a pattern of command responsibility, rather than simply individual acts of violence by fighters on the ground, as both sides say?

Janine Morna: In the report, we name two commanders. We have been able to identify the level of control some senior commanders exercise partly through interviews with people who have been detained. Those individuals have repeated exposure to particular commanders and a much better understanding of the RSF network involved in the conflict in this context.

One commander named in the report is quite senior and has been sanctioned by others: [Major General] Gedo Hamdan Ahmed Mohamed [popularly known by his alias/nom de guerre] ‘Abu Shouk’. We understand him to be responsible for much of the detention and oversight of detention in El Fasher, which we identify as one of the major violations.

More broadly, if you look at the way this campaign of violence was waged, it was widespread, systematic, and coordinated. These were not sporadic events or one-off incidents; the patterns of violence were part and parcel of the way the Rapid Support Forces took over the area.

These were not isolated acts, and I think that speaks to a degree of coordination within the RSF. The patterns are too consistent across locations and individuals to be explained as one-off acts by ‘bad actors’ or ‘bad apples’.

There are multiple instances of rape and sexual violence in particular towns, multiple killings, and multiple detentions. Particular areas and ethnic groups are targeted. You can’t help but conclude that this comes from somewhere at the top, and that at a minimum these practices are accepted in the way the campaign of violence is being waged. To me, that suggests a high degree of command responsibility. Senior leaders need to be investigated for what they did, and what they failed to do, to control their forces.

Radio Dabanga: Amnesty says some of the conduct documented in North Darfur relates to genocide, as you said. Having documented what happened to civilians, particularly children in El Fasher, what do you believe the international community needs to do differently now to prevent these patterns of violence from being repeated elsewhere in Sudan? We mentioned, for instance, El Obeid, which is now the latest hotspot, and the violence moves. So, what does the international community need to do tangibly, rather than just talk from the podium of the Security Council? What can it do concretely to end this war?

Janine Morna: Well, certainly, from Amnesty International’s perspective, there are a number of actions it should be taking. First, you need to make the cost of waging war in this manner much higher. I think that includes the international community being much more engaged and outspoken about the economic enablers of the conflict. The United Arab Emirates has a really important role in backing the Rapid Support Forces with resources, weapons, and other support. Cutting off some of those economic enablers could really change the tide of the conflict. I think that’s really important.

There must also be much bolder action in terms of what is happening on the ground. We certainly believe that a protection presence is necessary to secure the safety of civilians, particularly in those hotspot areas. We saw time and again people being continually displaced, looking for a safe place to be and not being able to find one. To secure safe places, we need an independent, neutral protection force on the ground.

With this report, we are trying to lobby and advocate for the international community to move towards authorising some kind of protection presence. We believe it is the only really meaningful way to protect civilians. Then there is the need to pursue accountability. In El Fasher, you have commanders such as Abu Lulu filming themselves committing some of the worst atrocities on camera and acting with impunity. That gives you a sense of how much people perceive the international community cares about what is happening in Sudan.

Pursuing accountability is so important. We need to make sure the investigative mechanisms established to investigate what is happening in Sudan are well resourced and well-funded, and have the opportunity to document these violations meaningfully. International cases brought against some of these perpetrators must also be supported.

Radio Dabanga: That’s very clear. Thank you very much. To conclude, what message do you want to send to the listeners of Radio Dabanga? The bulk of our listeners are in Sudan. Our shortwave broadcasts can also be received in Chad, in the displacement camps and in all the places where there is no internet or telephone communication. Very often, we are the only source of information for people. Do you have a message of hope to send out?

Janine Morna: Yes. The one thing I would say is that we have been doing a lot of advocacy since the launch of this report, and I am hopeful that the tide in Sudan is changing. If we look at the response from the media and international audiences that Amnesty International engages with, and even at stakeholders and states, the conversation about Sudan now is quite different from what might have happened a year or two ago.

El Fasher really feels like an important turning point, a real recognition of the severity of the harm people are suffering. I want to say that there is an international community that cares about what is happening in Sudan and is mobilised to try to do something before the violence continues to spread.

I think there is a unique window of opportunity to capitalise on increasing global attention on what is happening in Sudan and to motivate meaningful, bold action. I have seen many committed civil servants and humanitarian actors really trying to engage on this. Sudan will continue to be a priority country for Amnesty International. We want to see meaningful action by states, and we are mobilising our resources and remain committed to trying to make that happen.

Radio Dabanga: Thank you very much, Janine, for talking to Radio Dabanga. We wish you every success with your research. And keep the facts and figures flowing, because they are really important to us as well, as we report the news on the ground. We hope to speak to you again soon.

Janine Morna: Thank you. Thank you for having me.