By Mirjam van Reisen
IDN received 15 new testimonies collected by an organisation focusing on supporting rape victims in the war in Sudan. The testimonies document a series of harrowing incidents of sexual violence in Sudan, primarily targeting women aged between 18 and 36 years. These incidents occurred across various locations, including Khartoum and its neighborhoods, El Geneina, Darfur, East Darfur, and other specific towns and villages. The majority of these incidents, 13 out of 15, identify members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as the perpetrators, indicating a systemic issue within this group. The temporal distribution of these newly reported incidents spans from January 2022 to July 2024, indicating an ongoing and pervasive problem.
The types of events reported range from assault and sexual violence to gang rape, rape in front of family members, and repeated gang rape over several days. The victims are predominantly young women, including political activists, teachers, and members of specific tribes such as the Masalit. One woman, a 27-year-old political activist from Khartoum, recounted her assault in January 2022, stating, “When I see it, I feel terror and ask myself, ‘Was that me, caught in that quagmire?!” This sentiment echoes the profound trauma experienced by many of the victims.
In several cases, victims were threatened and told to keep the assaults secret. For instance, a 38-year-old teacher from West Darfur described her rape in June 2023, saying, “One of them held my legs, another my hands, and the third stripped me of my clothes and assaulted me.” This quote underscores the brutal and dehumanizing nature of the attacks. Another woman, a 28-year-old from Khartoum, expressed the societal stigma and isolation she felt after her assault, stating, “The silence was harder than the pain… society shows no mercy.”
One was recorded on video and widely shared. This testimony involves a 27-year-old political activist and member of the Sudanese Congress Party. She was assaulted on January 24, 2022, in the Khartoum 2 neighbourhood. This video was filmed by another person who was drawn to the scene by her screams. The phone of the survivor of the rape was take off her so that she was prevented from seeking help.
In several testimonies, family members were forced to witness the brutal sexual assaults of their loved ones. In one case from El Geneina in May 2023, a mother and her children were compelled to watch as two armed individuals in RSF uniforms gang-raped her 23-year-old daughter in their home. In West Darfur in June 2023, a 38-year-old teacher was raped in front of her elder brother by RSF elements, who restrained her as they assaulted her. Another incident occurred in Khartoum’s Al Kalakla neighborhood in 2023, where a 28-year-old woman was sexually assaulted in front of her young child during an armed raid on her home. These incidents are testimony to the extreme brutality and psychological trauma inflicted not only on the victims but also on their helpless family members who were forced to witness these atrocities.
In several cases, the women were raped as armed men entered into their home. In other cases, the women were abducted on the street and raped in the car, and taken to unknown locations. They were often left alone after the assault. In one of the testimonies, it was reported that the woman was pregnant after the assault.
Out of the 15 testimonies, only a few instances mention the victims receiving some form of support after the events. For example, a 17-year-old girl from Al Jazirah State, who was subjected to repeated gang rape by four men over four days in 2024, begged the perpetrators to let her go: “I begged them to let me go, but they just laughed and said this was punishment.” After her release, a volunteer helped her reach an unofficial health center for care, and she is currently receiving psychological support through a local organization. A 19-year-old woman from Darfur, who was raped during her displacement journey in 2024, remained without shelter for two days until a local shepherd rescued her and took her to a relief organization.
The locations of the reported incidents include Khartoum, East Darfur, Dar es Salaam in Omdurman city, Al Jazirah State in Wad Madani city, and Adila town, among others. The time of the incidents per reported locations were: three that took place in Khartoum in 2022 and 2023, and four in East Darfur in 2024 and 2025 and three in other locations Dar es Salaam, Omdurman city (December 2023); Al Jazirah State – Wad Madani city, (2024) and Adila town, (April 2024).
Table: Summary of incidents of sexual assault in Sudan reported to IDN (2022-2025)
| Testimony | Location | Month and Year | Type of Event | Characteristics of Victims | Characteristics of Perpetrators |
| 1 | Khartoum 2 neighbourhood | January 2022 | Assault, sexual violence | 27-year-old female, political activist | Group of soldiers |
| 2 | El Geneina | May 2023 | Gang rape | 23-year-old female | Armed individuals wearing RSF uniforms |
| 3 | Ardamata, El Geneina, South Darfur | November 2023 | Gang rape | 26-year-old female | Two RSF members |
| 4 | West Darfur | June 2023 | Rape | 38-year-old female teacher | RSF elements |
| 5 | Geneina | May 2023 | Rape and shooting | 18-year-old female, Masalit tribe | RSF members |
| 6 | Khartoum North | November 2023 | Assault and rape | Female in her twenties | Six RSF elements |
| 7 | Darfur – El Geneina | 2024 | Rape | 19-year-old female | Armed group from the RSF |
| 8 | Khartoum – Al Kalakla neighbourhood | 2023 | Sexual assault | 28-year-old female | Gunmen |
| 9 | Dar es Salaam, Omdurman city | December 2023 | Gang rape | Female with daughters aged 17 and 10 | RSF members |
| 10 | Al Jazirah State – Wad Madani city | 2024 | Repeated gang rape | 17-year-old female | Armed elements belonging to the RSF |
| 11 | Adila town | April 2024 | Rape | 24-year-old female | Three RSF members |
| 12 | Sharaf village, East Darfur | March 2024 | Rape | 28-year-old female | Armed man in RSF-style trousers |
| 13 | Al-Mazroub, East Darfur | January 2025 | Gang rape | 31-year-old female | RSF armed group |
| 14 | Abu Karinka, East Darfur State | April 2024 | Rape | 25-year-old female | Soldier in incomplete RSF uniform |
| 15 | Umm Rakouba, East Darfur | July 2024 | Sexual assault | 36-year-old female | Commander of the RSF checkpoint |
The analysis of these testimonies paints a grim picture of sexual violence in Sudan, with a clear pattern of abuse perpetrated by members of the RSF. The victims, predominantly young women, face not only physical and sexual violence but also psychological trauma and societal stigma. The limited instances of support highlight the need for more comprehensive and accessible support systems for victims of such atrocities. The repeated nature of these crimes, often involving multiple perpetrators and extreme brutality, underscores the urgent need for intervention and support for the victims.