A U.N. human rights report released on Tuesday documented widespread conflict-related sexual violence across Sudan since the outbreak of war in April 2023, describing it as a systematic tactic used to terrorize civilians and warning of its long-term consequences for victims and communities.
The report by the U.N. Human Rights Office said sexual violence had accompanied both the geographic expansion of the conflict and the displacement of civilians, with survivors facing severe physical, psychological and social consequences.
“Unless the patterns and impacts of conflict-related sexual violence are addressed through justice, victim-centred responses and efforts to tackle stigma and discrimination, peace and social cohesion in Sudan risk being undermined for years to come,” the report said.
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said sexual violence was being used as a weapon of war.
“As I warned at the end of my mission to Sudan in January, sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war. This is a war crime and, if committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack, a crime against humanity,” Türk said.
The report said there were reasonable grounds to believe that some acts of sexual violence committed in Darfur as part of a widespread and systematic attack against civilians may amount to crimes against humanity.
The U.N. Human Rights Office verified 546 incidents of conflict-related sexual violence in 16 of Sudan’s 18 states between the start of the conflict and mid-April 2025, affecting at least 838 victims, including 539 women, 284 girls, eight men and seven boys.
However, the report said the verified cases represented only a fraction of the actual scale of abuses because underreporting remained widespread.
Most verified incidents were attributed to men wearing uniforms of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), its affiliated groups and Arab militias. Other cases were linked to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), affiliated security actors, the Joint Forces, armed movements and militias.
According to the report, sexual violence has frequently occurred alongside coordinated attacks on civilians and has been used as a tactic of war. Documented abuses included rape, gang rape, sexual slavery, forced marriage, forced prostitution, sexual torture and trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Nearly one-quarter of the documented incidents involved gang rape. In one case, at least 10 perpetrators raped a girl. The report also identified recurring patterns including the use of sexual violence to control civilian movement, abductions linked to sexual abuse, sexual slavery and abuse in detention facilities.
The U.N. Human Rights Office documented at least 85 cases of women and girls held in sexual slavery, where they were forced to perform domestic labour and generate income for their captors.
The report recorded the deaths of at least 13 victims, including women, men and children, most of whom died following brutal gang rapes. The youngest victim was nine years old. Many survivors suffered serious medical complications, compounded by the collapse of health services in conflict-affected areas.
At least 59 women and girls became pregnant or gave birth as a result of rape, the report said.
Investigators also found evidence that sexual violence was used as retaliation against individuals perceived to be affiliated with opposing parties and as part of ethnically motivated attacks.
Many victims from the Masalit ethnic community in West Darfur said attackers questioned them about their tribal identity before assaulting them. Survivors reported being told in 2023: “This year, all of you Masalit girls will deliver our children,” and “If you are Masalit, we will slaughter you today.”
Türk called for prompt, independent and impartial investigations into sexual violence committed during the conflict and urged authorities to ensure accountability.
“Persistent impunity is clearly deepening harms and reinforcing cycles of violations and abuses,” he said.
“All perpetrators, including those exercising command responsibility, must be held fully accountable, and victims must be guaranteed access to effective remedy, including reparation.”
The report called on all parties to the conflict to take concrete and verifiable measures to prevent sexual violence and urged the international community to ensure that justice and accountability remain central to efforts aimed at securing a ceasefire and resolving the conflict.
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