Women in Sudan’s South Kordofan state have been subjected to repeated rapes and some have been held as sex slaves by fighters from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias, Human Rights Watch reported on Monday.
The RSF did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The group, embroiled in a 20-month-long war with Sudan’s army, has consistently denied allegations of systematic abuse during the conflict, which has displaced more than 12 million people and plunged the country into devastation.
According to the New York-based Human Rights Watch, at least 79 cases of rape of women and girls as young as seven have been documented. Seven survivors were interviewed, including one woman who said she was held captive with 50 others and raped repeatedly over a period of three months.
The report highlighted that the fighters targeted women from the Nuba ethnic group in this remote border region with South Sudan, and stated that the attacks constitute war crimes.
“Survivors described being gang raped, in front of their families or over prolonged periods of time, including while being held as sex slaves by RSF fighters,” said Belkis Wille, associate crisis and conflict director at Human Rights Watch.
Women recounted attempts to escape, only to be chained together and confined in “a pen-like setup with wires and tree branches,” the report added.
ACCUSATIONS
Most of the reported attacks occurred after the RSF launched assaults on the town of Habila and surrounding settlements on December 31, 2023, the report said.
South Kordofan remains contested between Sudan’s army and the SPLM-N, a rebel group composed mainly of Nuba people. The two sides have been battling for control of the region for years.
Human Rights Watch quoted one Nuba survivor recounting the attackers’ ethnic slurs. “As they raped us, they said to each other, ‘These Nuba are our slaves, we can do anything we want,'” she said.
The RSF has faced previous accusations of crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. Last year, the United States accused the RSF of targeting members of the Massalit ethnic group in West Darfur state. While the RSF denied widespread abuses, it promised to investigate individual soldiers.
Similarly, Sudan’s army has been accused of war crimes by the United States and UN experts. These accusations include indiscriminate airstrikes on RSF-controlled areas and blocking humanitarian aid—allegations the army has rejected.
The war between the RSF and Sudan‘s army erupted in April 2023 following disagreements over integrating the two forces during Sudan’s democratic transition. While the RSF initially gained control of about half the country, the army has recently made advances in Khartoum and southern regions.
