Amnesty: RSF Using Rape as Weapon of War in Sudan
Amnesty International has reported that Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have deliberately used rape and other forms of sexual violence as tools of war—acts that constitute war crimes and may amount to crimes against humanity.
In a report released Thursday, the organization documented 36 instances of rape and gang rape committed by RSF fighters, with victims as young as 15, across four Sudanese states between the outbreak of civil war in April 2023 and October 2024.
Survivors described harrowing experiences, including sexual slavery, torture, and brutal assaults intended to terrorize, degrade, and displace entire communities. One mother was raped after her breastfeeding baby was taken from her, and another woman was held in sexual captivity for a month in Khartoum. In several cases, women were gang-raped in front of family members.
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Although Amnesty acknowledged that both the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have committed violations, this particular investigation focused on sexual violence perpetrated by the RSF.
Some attacks reportedly targeted women accused of ties to the SAF or punished them for failing to save injured RSF soldiers they were coerced into treating. The report noted that many assaults were committed in public or semi-public settings, indicating a sense of impunity among the perpetrators.
Amnesty has called for urgent international action to investigate these crimes and ensure justice and accountability for survivors.
