Nineteen women, including two who were pregnant, were raped while fleeing El Fasher, the capital of the Sudanese state North Darfur. The attacks raise further alarm over worsening abuses by the UAE-backed Rapid Support Forces and unchecked war crimes spreading occurring in Sudan.
The Sudan Doctors Network said on X: “two of the survivors are pregnant and are currently receiving special healthcare under the supervision of local medical teams.”
The group condemned “the gang rape being perpetrated by the RSF against women escaping the horrors of El-Fasher,” calling it a violation of international law and urging the world to document the atrocities and create safe routes for civilians.
The assault reports come after the RSF captured El-Fasher and was accused of massacres that killed thousands of civilians. Months of siege had already cut food supplies and destroyed hospitals and displacement camps.
Human rights groups say the campaign in Darfur includes racialised atrocities marked by sexual violence and killings that echo the genocide of the 2000s.
International observers have described the attacks as war crimes, and the United States formally declared the RSF’s actions a genocide in early 2025.
The violence is not isolated. Another statement from the Sudan Doctors Network reported 32 rapes of girls fleeing El Fasher in a single week.
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It said some assaults took place inside the city after the RSF takeover, and others occurred as girls tried to escape to Tawila.
The group said these crimes “reveal the extent of the disorder and systematic abuses facing women and girls in areas controlled by the RSF, amid the absence of protection and a complete lack of accountability.” It urged an international investigation and unrestricted access for medical and humanitarian teams.
The sexual violence is unfolding within a broader civil war that began in April 2023. The conflict pits the Sudanese army, led by General Abdel Fattah al Burhan, against the RSF commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.
Once allies, the two men turned on each other after a failed power-sharing transition collapsed and disputes over military integration spun into open warfare. Fighting has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, leaving Sudan in what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Hemedti expanded the force through control of gold mines and smuggling networks, while foreign backing strengthened its reach.
Reports link the RSF to support from the UAE and Libya’s warlord, Khalifa Haftar, with Sudan accusing the UAE of supplying weapons. Investigations have also found evidence that British made equipment reached RSF fighters through UAE channels. These findings have intensified scrutiny of foreign actors who critics say are fuelling the deadly civil war.
With El-Fasher under RSF control and abuses mounting, Sudan faces deepening fragmentation, worsening famine, and the collapse of basic protection for civilians.
Medical groups say sexual violence reflects a wider pattern of impunity that will continue unless international pressure forces accountability and opens the way for humanitarian access.
RSF faces global condemnation
African Union (AU) Commission Chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf condemned on Sunday the killing of over 100 civilians, including children, in Kalogi, South Kordofan, urging an immediate ceasefire.
“The deliberate targeting of children, educators, medical personnel, and civilians seeking to assist the wounded, as reported in media accounts, represents a flagrant violation of international humanitarian and human rights law,” the AU said in a statement.
The readout said the chairperson was “appalled” by escalating attacks on civilians and expressed concern over ongoing airstrikes, drone attacks, and assaults on hospitals and schools.
Youssouf called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire by all parties, full protection of civilians, particularly children, women, and the elderly, and unhindered humanitarian access to deliver lifesaving aid.
He stressed the need for accountability, calling for independent investigations to ensure those responsible for the “heinous” attacks are brought to justice.
The Sudanese Foreign Ministry accused the RSF on Friday of killing at least 79 civilians, including 43 children, in Kalogi. Local sources say the death toll crossed 100.
The ministry said the militia targeted a kindergarten with drone-launched rockets “with the aim of killing a large number of children,” struck it again as residents rushed to help, and chased victims and medics at a rural hospital.
The three Kordofan states – North, West, and South – have seen weeks of fierce fighting between the army and the RSF, prompting tens of thousands of people to flee.
Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls all five states of the Darfur region in the west, except for some northern parts of North Darfur that remain under army control. The army, in turn, holds most areas of the remaining 13 states in the south, north, east, and center, including the capital, Khartoum.
The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has killed thousands of people and displaced millions of others.
