Since the outbreak of war on April 15, 2023, Sudanese women and girls have endured continuous and systematic acts of sexual violence.   

Crimes including murder, rape, torture, enforced disappearance, abduction, forced confinement, sexual slavery, forced marriage, and enslavement have been weaponized in the conflict and used as tools for recruitment. The crimes are not a side effect of the war, they are primary tactics, used against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)’s primary target – the civilian population of Sudan. Despite ongoing telecom blackouts, stigma, and fear of reprisals – to name just a few of the barriers to documentation – numerous cases of the RSF committing these heinous crimes against civilians have been thoroughly documented since the war’s inception.    

SIHA Network has been closely monitoring the rights violations perpetrated by the RSF in South Kordofan State and the Nuba Mountains region. In late December 2023, the RSF attacked the Heibela Locality in South Kordofan, targeting the villages of Tarda, Tanqal, Wata’, Fio, Az-Zaltaya, and Qardoud Abu Al-Dhakir. The violent attack resulted in civilian deaths, including women and children. Houses were destroyed, properties and crop harvests were looted, and the villages of Fio and Az-Zaltaya were completely burned down. Consequently, a significant wave of displacement ensued, with 9,894 individuals (1,596 families) being displaced and 52 people reported missing.  

On February 9, 2024, the RSF carried out a brutal attack on peaceful farming communities in the villages of Tanqal and Az-Zaltaya. This attack tragically resulted in the deaths of 7 men and the abduction of 13 women and girls. According to reports from local activists, women and girls were abducted and taken to the Al-Qoz locality, which is under the control of the RSF. The age range of the abducted women is reported to be between 17 and 30 years old. Several weeks after this attack and abduction, the leader of the local administration stated that three of the abducted women were released by the RSF after three weeks of captivity. However, the rest of the women remain in areas under RSF control due to ongoing obstructions to their evacuation. 

The abduction of women and girls in the Heibela Locality and rural areas of South Kordofan is part of a long history of heinous practices by the RSF and tribal militias. For decades, tribal militias affiliated with the RSF have committed atrocities in South Kordofan and Nuba Mountains. Those violations have seen a significant escalation since the outbreak of the April 15 war.  

The war has devastated the healthcare sector, depriving women and girls of reproductive and general healthcare services. Moreover, limited access to necessary care and services exacerbates the suffering of those who have experienced sexual violence.  

It is also important to note that the South Kordofan and Nuba Mountains areas have been experiencing a communication and internet service blackout since the first week of February. This blackout significantly impedes the documentation of rights violations, the provision of assistance to affected women and communities, and the delivery of essential services.  

The continued silence and disregard of the international community and Sudanese political elites regarding sexual violence, combined with the failure to hold perpetrators accountable, will propagate cycles of violence and further disintegrate Sudanese society. We, therefore, urge the international community to prioritize accountability as a foundation for peace for lasting peace in Sudan.