The Sudan Doctors Network said on Sunday that it had documented the rape of 19 women as they fled from the city of El-Fasher in North Darfur to Al-Dabba in the Northern State, at the hands of members of the RSF militia.
The network said the survivors included two pregnant women who are now receiving specialized medical care from local medical teams amid extremely dire humanitarian conditions and a rising influx of people fleeing the fighting across Darfur.
The network condemned, “in the strongest terms,” what it described as systematic gang rape against women escaping El-Fasher, calling the assaults “a direct targeting of women” and a blatant violation of international laws that criminalize the use of sexual violence as a weapon against civilians. It warned that the continuation of such violations represents “a dangerous escalation” in the targeting of vulnerable groups.
It further cautioned that the international community’s silence could embolden perpetrators and widen the impact of the crimes in the absence of effective civilian protection mechanisms.
The Sudan Doctors Network urged the United Nations and international human rights bodies to take urgent measures, including offering protection to women and children along displacement routes, sending independent fact-finding missions, ensuring safe access for humanitarian and medical teams, and exerting real pressure on RSF leadership to halt the attacks, respect international humanitarian law, and provide safe corridors for civilians.
