ALBAWABA - Local Sudanese reports claimed that since the war raged in April 2023, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have committed at least 500 rapes and other crimes against women and girls, including sexual slavery.
Sudan's foreign ministry said in a statement on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women that "official authorities and relevant organizations" had recorded the crimes, but that the real number of victims was probably much higher.
The ministry said that the RSF had not carried out reliable inquiries into the atrocities carried out by its fighters, which included attacks on people, forced relocation, and genocidal acts.
It accused the RSF of kidnapping and holding hundreds of women hostage, exposing them to sexual exploitation and forced domestic labor. According to the report, girls were being trafficked both within and outside of Sudan.
"The militia uses rape as a weapon of war to force citizens to evacuate their villages and homes, to settle its mercenaries and punish communities that reject its presence," the foreign ministry statement reads.
The fight between the RSF and Sudan's army has been ongoing since April 15, killing thousands and displacing millions. Both sides have traded charges of crimes, although the RSF has been frequently documented as abusing civilians.
The foreign ministry urged the international community to take action against the RSF and its supporters, accusing them of giving military, financial, and political assistance.
