{"id":20048282,"date":"2023-08-05T17:26:07","date_gmt":"2023-08-05T15:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/?p=20048282"},"modified":"2023-08-07T15:26:17","modified_gmt":"2023-08-07T13:26:17","slug":"criminal-cases-filed-against-sudan-militia-for-abductions-and-sexual-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/en\/all-news\/article\/criminal-cases-filed-against-sudan-militia-for-abductions-and-sexual-violence","title":{"rendered":"‘Criminal cases filed against Sudan militia’ for abductions and sexual violence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Sudanese public prosecutor has reportedly filed criminal cases against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for enforced disappearances and sexual assaults. On Tuesday, the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict spoke with the deputy commander of the RSF on the accusations.<\/strong> Abducted women and girls are allegedly being held and sexually abused<\/strong><\/strong> in Khartoum and in South and North Darfur.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cases, investigated in early May, include over 500 missing persons and more than 20 incidents of sexual violence against women and girls recorded in El Gezira and other states since war broke out between the Sudanese army and the RSF in mid-April, Sudan Tribune<\/em> reported on Thursday<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The accusations range<\/a> from unlawful detentions, abductions, rapes, and occupation of homes, offices, and hospitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Tuesday, Pramila Patten, the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, met with Abdelrahim Dagalo, deputy commander of the RSF, and brother of RSF Commander Mohamed \u2018Hemedti\u2019 Dagalo.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the meeting, Patten \u201craised serious concerns about increasing sexual violence in Khartoum and Darfur, including cases implicating arms bearers affiliated with the RSF\u201d. She further mentioned \u201cthe targeting medical infrastructure and personnel providing essential support to survivors of sexual violence, attacks on women\u2019s human rights defenders and civil society organisations, abductions of women and girls, as well as reports of slave markets in Darfur\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the press release<\/a> by the office of the UN special representative, Hemedti \u201cacknowledged the gravity of sexual violence in the context of the armed conflict\u201d and agreed to combat these crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amnesty International<\/a> accused members of the RSF and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) of committing war crimes in a new report on Thursday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report, which focuses primarily on Khartoum and West Darfur, details sexual violence against women and girls, targeted attacks on civilian objects such as hospitals and churches, and extensive looting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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‘Women and girls are being held in warehouses and hotels in Nyala and Khartoum for sexual exploitation’<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Sudan\u2019s Emergency Lawyers stated on July 27 that people fleeing the war in Khartoum are being subjected to \u201call forms of harassment<\/a>\u201d on route, including humiliating searches, detentions, and robberies. Two day later, the New-York based African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) reported on<\/a> more than 130 arbitrarily detained and missing persons during the month of May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Held in hotels\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Combating Violence Against Women Unit of the Sudanese Ministry of Social Affairs on Thursday reported that women and girls are being sexually abused in Nyala, capital of South Darfur. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It cited “survivors and witnesses” who “confirmed that women and girls are being held in warehouses and hotels in Nyala and Khartoum for sexual exploitation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regarding unconfirmed reports of \u2018women slave markets<\/a>\u2019, the unit stated that \u201cwhile they are based on hearsay, the gravity of the overall situation demands attention and investigation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A comprehensive analysis of the situation remains difficult, as sources are at risk of retaliation by the RSF if their cooperation with human rights bodies is discovered, the unit added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On June 10, the Combating Violence Against Women Unit said the number of rape cases it recorded likely \u201crepresent only two per cent of the total cases<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means that there have been a possible 4,400 cases of sexual violence since early May, the unit reported in a statement on July 20<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Kidnapped\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a Gender Alert<\/a> on Tuesday, the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) network said it had received \u201calarming information that members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been kidnapping female civilians and holding them hostage in Darfur to be ransomed back to their families or possibly be later sold in markets\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of SIHA\u2019s sources reported that he saw many women and girls bound and held in vehicles in El Wadaah, southeast of El Fasher, capital of North Darfur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe stated that the incidents are public and said, \u2018no one can deny that it is happening\u2026everyone in Wadaah saw this, we all saw this.\u2019 He also commented that the women and\/or girls looked like they were from northern Sudan,\u201d SIHA said.<\/p>\n