October 29, 2024 (GENEVA) – A UN fact-finding mission reported on Tuesday that Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are responsible for widespread sexual violence, including gang rapes and the abduction and detention of women in conditions amounting to sexual slavery. The report, which expands on findings presented to the Human Rights Council in September, concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe that these acts constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, including torture, rape, sexual slavery, and persecution on ethnic and gender grounds. While the report also documented cases involving the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allied groups, it emphasized that the majority of the rape and sexual violence has been perpetrated by the RSF, particularly in Greater Khartoum, Darfur, and Al Jazirah states. This violence, the report argues, is a deliberate tactic to terrorize civilians, punish those perceived to be associated with the SAF, and suppress any opposition. “The sheer scale of sexual violence we have documented in Sudan is staggering,” said Mohamed Chande Othman, Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission. “The situation faced by vulnerable civilians, in particular women and girls of all ages, is deeply alarming and needs urgent attention.” The report detailed a horrific range of …

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