Sudan: Two new sexual violence cases in El Gezira

The Combating Violence against Women and Children Unit of the Sudanese Ministry of Social Affairs says it has received credible reports of at least two new cases of sexual and gender-based violence (GBV) in El Gezira, and expressed concern about the expansion of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the villages of the state.

A new report by the unit, seen by Radio Dabanga, details credible cases of at least two new instances of sexual violence in El Gezira, following the RSF takeover of the state in mid-December 2023.

“There were other cases the unit was unable to verify due to the insecurity in El Gezira”, it said in a media statement yesterday. “Nonetheless, the unit can confirm that there have been threats of sexual violence and instances of extortion of civilians by the RSF in different parts of the state.”

The group expressed grave concern about the expansion of RSF control in El Gezira, which it considered “a direct threat to women and girls who are unable to leave the state, especially given the collapse of the health system.

“These factors prevent our partners from providing the necessary assistance to victims of GBV, and may hinder the ability of survivors to document the abuse with the relevant authorities.”

7,000+ cases

Seleima Ishag, the director of Combating Violence against Women and Children Unit, told Radio Dabanga in an interview that the two new cases in El Gezira bring the total number of documented cases since the beginning of the war to 142 cases.

According to the unit’s estimates, documented cases only account for two percent of actual instances of sexual violence, “which means the real number likely exceeds 7,000 cases”.

“There are many challenges when it comes to documenting sexual violence”, Ishag said. “Sometimes, the survivors themselves are unwilling to testify, for fear of social repercussions. In other cases, the family prevents objects to documenting the case, even when the survivor agrees.”

The absence of state police and justice systems due to the war also compound challenges facing reporting cases of sexual violence. “Before fighting came to El Gezira, victims in Khartoum would come to Wad Madani to file a report, but that is no longer the case.”

Concerning rise

Sudan has experienced a concerning rise in sexual and gender-based violence since the onset of war between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF on April 15.

In July 2023, senior United Nations officials voiced shock and condemnation at increasing reports of gender-based violence in Sudan – including conflict-related sexual violence against displaced and refugee women and girls – since fighting erupted in the country in mid-April.

A November 2023 report by the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) underscored a distressing pattern of gender-based violence in Sudan, calling it a ‘weapon of war’. At the time, women’s organisations had documented over 120 confirmed cases of rape as of October, with the actual number likely much higher.

Last month, 56 new instances of rape , including minors, were reported by Sudan’s Emergency Lawyers in South Darfur.