Sudan’s Ongoing Gender-Based Violence During Civil War – The Organization for World Peace

Gender-based violence has escalated in Sudan since the outbreak of civil war in April 2023, according to reporting from The Organization for World Peace and United Nations agencies. Women and girls are facing systemic sexual violence and forced displacement as the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fight for control of the country.

The conflict has triggered a humanitarian crisis characterized by the widespread use of rape and sexual assault as tools of war. Human rights monitors report that these attacks occur during house raids, at checkpoints, and within displacement camps where protections are minimal.

Systemic Sexual Violence and Conflict Tactics

The Organization for World Peace identifies gender-based violence as a recurring feature of the current Sudanese civil war. Reports indicate that sexual violence is frequently used by combatants to terrorize civilian populations and assert dominance over specific territories.

UN experts have previously documented a pattern of conflict-related sexual violence in Sudan, noting that victims often face severe social stigma that prevents them from seeking medical care or reporting crimes to the few remaining functional authorities.

The violence is not limited to direct combat zones. Women fleeing the fighting in Khartoum and Darfur are frequently targeted by armed groups during their journey to safer regions, creating a cycle of vulnerability that extends from the home to the road.

Vulnerabilities in Displacement Camps

Displacement has stripped millions of Sudanese citizens of their primary support systems. In overcrowded camps, the lack of secure lighting, private sanitation facilities, and gender-segregated spaces has increased the risk of assault for women and girls.

According to humanitarian assessments, the breakdown of law and order has left women vulnerable to exploitation. In some regions, the desperation caused by famine and lack of resources has led to an increase in “survival sex,” where women are forced to exchange sexual favors for food or protection.

The collapse of the healthcare system further compounds these injuries. Most hospitals in conflict-affected areas are non-functional, meaning survivors cannot access post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to prevent HIV or emergency contraception following an assault.

Barriers to Justice and Medical Care

Legal recourse for survivors is virtually non-existent. The ongoing war has dismantled the judicial system, and there is no centralized mechanism to hold soldiers or paramilitary fighters accountable for gender-based crimes.

The Organization for World Peace emphasizes that the psychological impact of this violence is profound, often resulting in long-term trauma and social ostracization. Because of the conservative nature of many affected communities, survivors are sometimes blamed for the attacks, which discourages them from seeking the limited aid available.

International observers have called for the establishment of safe corridors and the deployment of specialized gender-based violence (GBV) response teams to provide psychiatric and medical support to those in the most volatile regions of the country.