"They raped us on the road in public": MSF exposes systematic use of rape as a weapon in Sudan's War

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is raising the alarm over the widespread use of rape as a weapon in Sudan's war.

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In Darfur region, hundreds of women and girls some as young as five, have come forward with accounts of brutal, public, and repeated sexual violence by armed groups. MSF medical teams working in Darfur and in refugee camps across the border in Chad describe the scale and severity of sexual violence as a campaign of terror aimed at humiliating, punishing, and destroying entire communities.

Among the testimonies, a 17-year-old survivor recounted the horror of her assault by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF): "They beat us, and they raped us right there on the road, in public. There were nine men. Seven of them raped me. I wanted to lose my memory after that." Her story echoes countless other women and girls ambushed in their homes, on the run from violence, or while simply gathering firewood or farming. Survivors consistently report group rape, violent beatings, and threats of death. They are part of a systemic pattern of targeted abuse carried out with complete impunity.