UN expert warns of widespread sexual violence due to war in Sudan

June 19, 2025 (PEN) Radhouane Nouicer, the UN expert on the situation of human rights in Sudan, warned that conflict-related sexual violence in Sudan remains widespread, leaving lasting scars on individuals, families, and communities, stressing that "although women and girls do not start wars, they bear the brunt."

In a statement issued on June 19, 2025, to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, Nouicer expressed deep concern about the failure of warring parties to prevent this type of abuse.

According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 368 incidents of conflict-related sexual violence were documented as of May 31, 2025, involving at least 521 victims. More than half of these incidents involved rape and gang rape, mostly targeting internally displaced women and girls. These crimes were often characterized by ethnic hatred. More than 70% of these cases were attributed to the Rapid Support Forces, according to UN reports.

Nouisir emphasized that this number represents only "a tiny fraction of the true picture," noting that stigma, fear of retaliation, and the collapse of medical and legal systems lead to hundreds of cases going unreported.

He also noted that the commission documented horrific testimonies from survivors, including rape in front of family members, abduction followed by sexual violence, human trafficking, and assaults on female activists, including those working to document these crimes.

Nouisir added that sexual violence is often accompanied by killing, torture, and arbitrary detention, and is used as a "tool of intimidation and tribal-based revenge" by both sides of the conflict and their allied militias.

Nouicer considered what is happening to be a "serious human rights emergency and humanitarian crisis," causing lasting harm to families and children born of rape, amid widespread impunity.

Nouicer called for mobilizing national and international justice to hold the perpetrators of these crimes accountable, stressing that "no matter how long it takes, this generation and the next must not be deprived of justice."