Africa’s leaders must address weaponisation of rape in Sudan’s conflict
Al JazeeraFEB 12
UN: Sudan Facing Sexual Assault of Children Amid Armed Conflict
Above: A girl behind a gate in a camp for internally displaced people in Port Sudan, Sudan, on Oct. 30, 2024. Image copyright: Eduardo Soteras/Contributor/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Facts
In a report released on Monday, the UN children's agency UNICEF said that armed men have been raping and sexually assaulting children in Sudan since early 2024, with victims including one-year-old infants.
The sexual violence spans nine Sudanese states. Of the reported 221 cases of child rape last year, 66% of the victims were girls and 33% were boys, while 16 survivors were under five.
The ongoing conflict, which erupted in April 2023 between Sudan's military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has displaced over 14M people and resulted in at least 20K deaths.
The Spin
Narrative A
Sexual violence in Sudan is being systematically deployed as a weapon of war, with the majority of documented cases being perpetrated by the RSF and allied Arab militias in a pattern of using rape to terrorize civilians and suppress opposition to their advances. With the ongoing conflict creating conditions that have increased vulnerability to sexual violence, the parties to the conflict must take steps to protect children and end gender-based violence.
Narrative B
Even if both sides have committed abuses in the war, the RSF is responsible for some of the most heinous atrocities being committed in Sudan. Hopefully, the armed forces will make territorial gains, end the war in the coming days, and lead the country back to democracy. However, the raging systematic violence will not cease until the US and UK publicly condemn the UAE's role in fueling the Sudanese war for political and economic hegemony.