MSF Warns of Rising Sexual Violence Amid Escalating Conflict in El Fasher
Sudan Events – Agencies
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has raised alarm over a surge in sexual violence cases in Sudan, particularly in El Fasher, North Darfur, where clashes have intensified in recent weeks.
In a statement on Thursday, the humanitarian organization said that the number of survivors seeking care “rose sharply following the attacks on the Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps” on the outskirts of the city, which has been besieged by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for over a year.
El Fasher, the last major city in Darfur still under Sudanese army control, stands as a strategic stronghold in a region where the RSF has consolidated control over most other territories.
Hundreds of Survivors in Weeks
MSF reported that between May and June alone, its teams treated more than 302 survivors of sexual violence in North Darfur, including 113 in a single week. According to the organization, 97% of perpetrators were non-civilians, with the majority of survivors coming from El Fasher and the nearby Zamzam camp.
Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) revealed that more than 1,600 people fled El Fasher between September 23 and 24 due to worsening insecurity.
Civilians at Risk of Atrocities
The UN Human Rights Commissioner in Sudan, alongside eyewitnesses, confirmed that civilians attempting to escape the besieged city have faced killings, abductions, and sexual assaults. Since May 2024, roughly 260,000 residents of El Fasher have been trapped under siege conditions, with many resorting to animal fodder to stave off hunger.
The RSF has escalated its offensives across Darfur and Kordofan in recent months, following military setbacks in Khartoum and central Sudan earlier this year. Last week, RSF fighters stormed Abu Shouk camp, seizing large areas and prompting the UN to warn that 90% of its population had fled. Zamzam camp, meanwhile, has been under RSF control for months, reportedly transformed into a base for foreign combatants after a wave of deadly assaults.
Calls for a Humanitarian Truce
Amid the deteriorating crisis, the “Sudan Quartet”—Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the United States—convened on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, joined by Arab and European foreign ministers. Their joint statement urged both warring parties to commit to a humanitarian ceasefire in El Fasher, condemning “grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights law” and calling for adherence to commitments made under the Jeddah Declaration.
The warning comes after MSF suspended operations at Darfur’s only referral hospital in August, following an armed attack that killed one person and wounded five others, including a staff member.
