war - Mission against sexualized violence in Sudan demanded
In the face of widespread sexual violence since the beginning of the conflict in Sudan, Human Rights Watch calls for a UN mission to protect civilian women and men. Such a mission from the UN or African Union (AU) should have a "robust mandate," according to a published report. It should focus on regions where human rights abuses are particularly prevalent, including Darfur.
Hala Al-Karib, Regional Director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in Africa (SIHA), who also published a report on violence against women in the Al-Jasira State, also called for an international tribunal for accountability.
"No civilian is safe," said Mohamed Osman, one of the report's authors, based on interviews with doctors, health workers and staff, and first responders.
The situation in the capital Khartoum has been under investigation since the beginning of the conflict in April 2023. However, reports of sexual violence, enslavement, forced marriages, and rapes of women and girls, some as young as nine years old, exist from all regions where fighting is taking place.
Due to cultural stigmas, victims often turned to hospitals only when a pregnancy was confirmed.
A bloody power struggle has been going on in Sudan for over a year between de facto ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. According to UN estimates, the conflict led to the displacement of nearly ten million people.
- Human Rights Watch has emphasized the necessity of a UN mission to address the ongoing conflicts and protect civilians, particularly women, in regions like Darfur, where human rights abuses are rampant.
- The capital of Sudan, Khartoum, has been subject to investigation due to reports of sexual violence, enslavement, forced marriages, and rapes against women and girls during the ongoing conflict.
- The Al-Jasira State has also been a site of widespread sexual violence against women, as highlighted in a report published by Hala Al-Karib, the Regional Director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in Africa (SIHA).
- Despite the UN's ongoing investigation and international calls for accountability, there are ongoing reports of human rights violations against women in various regions of Sudan, where fighting is taking place.
- UN estimates suggest that the ongoing conflict in Sudan has led to the displacement of nearly ten million people, contributing to a worsening human rights crisis in the country.
