As Sudan faces the world’s largest internal displacement crisis, there has been a two-fold increase in gender-based violence among women and girls, states a report by UN Women. With the country having faced armed conflict between military and paramilitary groups since April 2023, the number of people at risk of gender-based violence has surged from 3.1 million prior to the conflict to 6.7 million today.
The report found that the risk of sexual violence against women is heightened. For example, speaking to the international relief and development organisation, World Vision, Jamila*, a 34-year-old survivor of sexual violence, said:
“While I was staying in Omdurman, an armed group of men attacked my house. They took all my belongings and assaulted me. But the worst experience I encountered was when I was fleeing from Khartoum to East Darfur. I was raped by eight armed individuals on the way, and all my belongings were looted again by these gunmen. I was then raped and beaten three times by thieves on the way from Omdurman to East Darfur.”
The neglected toll of the ongoing conflicts
Sudan’s persistent conflicts have been triggered by political, economic, and ethnic divisions. The country has witnessed periods of war, including the Darfur genocide, the secession of South Sudan, and the dispute regarding the ambiguous status of the Abyei area in relation to Sudan or South Sudan.
The current crisis in Sudan is now stretching into its eighteenth month, driven by a power struggle between the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group and the Sudanese Armed Forces. It has resulted in the world’s largest displacement of about 10.9 million people and compounded most of the nation’s existing challenges, including food insecurity, climate emergencies, and disease outbreaks.
On 16th September 2024, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) confirmed that almost 23,015 fatalities have been reported in Sudan since mid-April 2023 but stated this was only a conservative estimate due to methodological limitations.
GBV: A growing humanitarian catastrophe
Since the outbreak of violence in April 2023, sexual violence has been seen to be used as a tactic of war, where men rape because they believe it humiliates and emasculates the enemy’s woman and to gain pride by wielding unchecked power. By December 2023, the number of people needing GBV-related services had escalated, affecting some 6.7 million, with the number likely to be higher, according to the UN report.
Gang rape, rape, domestic violence, and forced marriages are some of the widest-spread forms of GBV in Sudan. Women and young girls, especially in regions such as Darfur, Khartoum, and Kordofan, are vulnerable to sexual assault and sexual exploitation perpetrated by both members of their own communities and armed groups.
Some are forced to have sex to get food for their children. N* says:
“I had sex with soldiers to be permitted to take kitchen equipment and food from empty houses. I am not a thief… I only did it because I wanted to feed my children.”
The collapse of social infrastructure has left many survivors struggling to access care. Displaced women and young girls in refugee camps frequently face sexual attacks while undertaking basic activities such as fetching water or collecting firewood, highlighting how routine survival pursuits make them vulnerable to sexual violence. Furthermore, about 2.5 million school-aged girls (74%) are out of school, increasing their susceptibility to child marriage and other sexual exploitation.
Humanitarian organizations report that the actual number of GBV cases is higher than reported as many survivors do not report this for fear of facing stigma, being revictimized, or being retributed by perpetrators. The UN gender report confirms that an estimated 5.8 million internally displaced women and girls are more vulnerable to sexual violence due to the stigmatization of victims and this results in underreporting of cases. Survivors remain silent out of fear of retaliation from the perpetrators which results in the cycle of abuse as they continue to carry out these crimes without consequences.
Cultural norms also place a great deal of pressure on women who are expected to uphold family honor which results in the victims of sexual violence being held responsible for their suffering and thus remaining silent.
The lack of appropriate psychological and medical care is intensifying the crisis as most health centers in conflict zones have been looted, destroyed, or are non-operational due to insufficient medicine and displaced health workers.
A nation on the brink
International humanitarian actors have been at the forefront of fighting gender-based violence in Sudan but the major challenge is reaching victims in hard-hit areas. The destabilization of Khartoum has disrupted coordinated aid provision, making local mobilization key to maintaining the well-being of civilians.
Funding also remains one of the biggest challenges for humanitarian organizations in Sudan. The United Nations issued an urgent appeal for US$4.1 billion to tackle the humanitarian crisis in the country but as of October 2024, only 71.2% of this had been raised.
The war in Sudan has taken its toll on women’s minds and bodies, with GBV proving to be one of the most silent, traumatizing crises needing urgent action. Survivors live with the scars of violence and trauma that may take years to deal with.
*Names changed for privacy
