A new report from the human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) reveals that the warring parties in Sudan have engaged in widespread sexual and gender-based violence in the capital city, Khartoum. According to the report, published on Monday, forces under the command of both the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have increasingly carried out acts of rape and gang rape since the outbreak of civil war in April 2023.

The report also notes several attacks on healthcare facilities and personnel. The investigation is based on interviews with health and social workers, counselors, and lawyers who have had direct contact with hundreds of survivors of sexual violence in Khartoum and neighboring cities, including Khartoum North and Omdurman. Access to survivors has been limited due to the conditions of war.

“The report shows that the warring parties have subjected women and girls, aged from nine to at least 60, to widespread sexual violence, including rape and gang rape. Men and boys have also fallen victim to sexual violence,” stated HRW.

The majority of cases were attributed to the paramilitary RSF forces, who have entrenched themselves in many areas of the capital during the early days of the war. While the SAF has been accused of fewer violations, numerous crimes committed by the army have also been documented.

“Service providers particularly described high levels of sexual violence in populated areas of Khartoum North and Omdurman, including by SAF, after they regained control of parts of Omdurman in January 2024,” according to HRW.

Many survivors reported being raped by multiple perpetrators, sometimes by as many as five RSF soldiers, who also abducted women and girls from their homes, streets, and workplaces. Survivors were held in homes and other facilities occupied by the RSF in Khartoum and surrounding areas.

“We received a case of a mother and her four daughters who were raped in front of their father and brothers. They could not leave their home as the RSF placed them under some form of house arrest. These women were raped repeatedly over several days. One of the daughters was pregnant when they managed to get to us,” said a healthcare worker in Khartoum.

The RSF has also subjected women and girls to forced and child marriages, according to the rights organization, which added that some relatives have sanctioned such marriages in hopes of protecting the women or girls from rape or for economic reasons.

HRW confirms that many survivors have been left with significant physical, emotional, social, and psychological scars after suffering abuse. In at least four cases, the physical injuries sustained by victims led to death.

“Many survivors have attempted to terminate their pregnancies after becoming pregnant as a result of rape; these survivors did not necessarily have access to abortion services,” the organization noted.

Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, also confirmed widespread sexual violence in Sudan in a report earlier this month, particularly in the Darfur region, where the RSF has also engaged in actions that could be described as ethnic cleansing.

According to the United Nations, more than 10 million people have been displaced since the war began in April 2023, and the conflict shows no signs of an immediate ceasefire as the warring parties continue to fight for control over Sudan.