The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) has released a harrowing report exposing the systematic use of sexual violence as a weapon in Sudan’s ongoing conflict. The report, published yesterday, documents extensive abuses committed by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), including rape, gang rape, forced prostitution, and sexual abductions.
The ACJPS report highlights the appalling scope of the violence, stating, “Girls as young as nine and women up to the age of 75 have been subjected to widespread sexual violence by the warring factions.”
In the Darfur region, the RSF and allied militias are implicated in the majority of reported cases. Victims are often abducted from homes, streets, or workplaces, with some confined in locations controlled by perpetrators under conditions described as sexual slavery.
The organization has called for immediate action to address these atrocities. “It is imperative that Sudanese authorities strongly and openly condemn these acts and hold perpetrators accountable, as the lack of prosecution has fostered a culture of impunity,” the report emphasizes.
The findings underscore the urgent need for international and domestic efforts to end the violence and support victims of these heinous crimes.