I will never forget the teacher who negotiated to be gang-raped instead of her daughter. These war crimes against women must be addressed | Hala Alkarib

What Happened

The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) has documented widespread conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) in Sudan since April 2023, committed primarily by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its allies. In Khartoum, Gezira, Blue Nile, White Nile, and North Kordofan, RSF fighters perpetrated systematic gang rape, sexual slavery, and other abuses. SIHA recorded cases including a schoolteacher who negotiated to be raped instead of her 14-year-old daughter, hundreds of women and children held as sexual slaves on farms in northern Khartoum and Omdurman, and numerous instances of women dying from injuries or suicide after rape. Additionally, in areas under Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) control, more than 850 women accused of collaborating with the RSF were detained in 2025; many endured sexual violence and torture in detention without charge. SIHA, in partnership with grassroots lawyers, secured the release of four such women after over a year of imprisonment.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The pervasive and deliberate use of sexual violence as a weapon of war underscores the depth of Sudan's humanitarian and protection crisis, with survivors facing fractured judicial and health systems. The lack of specific sanctions or accountability for CRSV perpetrators deepens collective trauma and threatens long-term prospects for peace and stability in Sudan.

Watch For

Monitor whether the US, UK, or EU impose targeted sanctions specifically for CRSV in Sudan; any UN Security Council briefings or International Criminal Court actions addressing sexual violence; and whether upcoming peace negotiations or justice mechanisms explicitly incorporate CRSV accountability and survivor support.