The U.N. human rights office said in a new report Friday that dozens of people, including children, have been victims of rape and other forms of sexual violence in the ongoing conflict in Sudan, attacks which could be assimilated to war crimes.
Sudan plunged into chaos in mid-April when clashes broke out in the capital, Khartoum, between rival Sudanese forces – the country's army, led by General Abdel Fattah Burhan, and a paramilitary faction known as the name Rapid Support Forces, under the command of General Mohammed Hamdan Daglo.
The fighting quickly spread across the country, particularly to urban areas, but also to the restive West Darfur region. To date, they have killed at least 12,000 people and caused more than 8 million people to flee their homes, according to the report.
The report, which covers a period from the start of fighting to December 15, documents abuses in a country that has been largely inaccessible to aid groups and rights monitors recently, obscuring the impact of a conflict that has been overshadowed by wars in places such as Gaza and Ukraine.
The report said that at least 118 people were victims of sexual violence, including rape, and that most of the attacks were carried out by members of paramilitary forces, in homes and on the streets.
One woman, according to the UN, "was detained in a building and subjected to repeated gang rapes over 35 days". The report also documents the recruitment of child soldiers by both parties to the conflict.
“Some of these violations would amount to war crimes,” said Volker Türk, the UN human rights chief, calling for prompt, thorough and independent investigations into allegations of abuse and human rights violations.
The report is based on interviews with more than 300 victims and witnesses, some of which were conducted in Ethiopia and Chad, neighbouring countries where many Sudanese have fled, as well as analysis of photographs, videos and satellite images taken in conflict zones.
The ravages of war, beyond the period under review, continue, the UN said.
The UN cited a video released last week in North Kordofan state showing men wearing Sudanese army uniforms and carrying severed heads of members of the rival paramilitary faction.
“For almost a year, stories from Sudan have told of death, suffering and despair, as the senseless conflict and human rights violations continue with no end in sight " said Mr. Türk. “The guns must be silenced and civilians must be protected,” he added.
Seif Magango, regional spokesperson for the UN human rights office, said "The number of displaced people (in Sudan) has now crossed the 8 million mark, which should be of concern to everyone".
In early February, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told the press that there was no military solution to the Sudanese conflict and urged rival generals to start talking about ending the conflict. conflict. He stressed that continued fighting "will not bring any solution and we must end it as soon as possible. "
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