NAIROBI, Kenya April 11 – The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have committed horrific and widespread sexual violence against women and girls across Sudan since the civil war began two years ago, using rape and sexual slavery as tools of war to humiliate, control, and forcibly displace communities.
These atrocities amount to war crimes and potentially crimes against humanity, Amnesty International says in a damning new report.
Titled “They Raped All of Us: Sexual Violence Against Women and Girls in Sudan”, the report documents RSF soldiers raping or gang-raping at least 36 women and girls—some as young as 15—between April 2023 and October 2024 in four states. In some of the most harrowing accounts, soldiers tore a breastfeeding baby away from its mother before raping her, and held a woman in Khartoum as a sex slave for 30 days. Other cases involved severe beatings, torture with boiling liquid and blades, and even killings.
“The RSF’s assaults on Sudanese women and girls are sickening, depraved, and aimed at inflicting maximum humiliation,” said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Regional Human Rights Impact. “The world must act to stop these atrocities by halting arms supplies to Sudan, pressuring RSF leaders to end the sexual violence, and ensuring accountability—right up to top commanders.”
Sudan’s civil war, which erupted in April 2023 between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), has killed tens of thousands and displaced over 11 million people. Both sides have committed serious violations of international law, including sexual violence.
Amnesty interviewed 30 people, mainly survivors and their relatives, in Ugandan refugee camps. All survivors identified RSF fighters as the perpetrators, noting that many attacks occurred in full view of other soldiers and civilians, suggesting a clear lack of accountability or fear of consequences.
‘The Most Horrific Day of My Life’
Survivors shared devastating testimonies. In Nyala, South Darfur, a woman was tied to a tree and raped in front of a group of soldiers. In Madani, three RSF soldiers gang-raped a woman in front of her 12-year-old daughter and sister-in-law. Another woman said she was abducted from Khartoum North by 13 RSF fighters, forced to treat wounded men, and then gang-raped until she lost consciousness.
Amnesty documented two cases of sexual slavery in Khartoum. In one, RSF soldiers held a woman in a house and raped her almost daily for a month. Victims who resisted were beaten, tortured, or even killed. One survivor recalled an 11-year-old boy beaten to death while trying to defend his mother.
Many attacks were linked to suspected SAF affiliations or targeted female medical workers unable to save injured RSF fighters.
Shameful International Response
The global response has been woefully inadequate. Survivors lacked access to emergency post-rape care, partly due to the ongoing conflict and fear of stigma or reprisals. Some suffer long-term injuries, psychological trauma, or reproductive health complications. Children who witnessed rapes experience severe distress and recurring nightmares.
Cuts to USAID-funded health programmes have further limited survivors’ access to treatment. Many are now refugees, with few resources to seek justice or recovery.
“Women are not leading or participating in this war, but we are suffering the most,” said a survivor from Omdurman. “I want the world to know our suffering—and ensure the men who raped us are punished.”
Amnesty is calling for urgent international action: to document and expose these violations, deliver justice and reparations, and ensure survivors have access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services.
“The international community has failed to protect Sudanese civilians,” said Muchena. “It’s time to confront the truth, bring perpetrators to justice, and support survivors in rebuilding their lives.”