Sudan: Armed groups in Sudan’s civil war are committing mass sexual violence against children, with victims as young as one-year-old, according to a new report by the UN children’s agency, UNICEF.
The report provides a harrowing account of the abuse suffered by children in the nearly two-year-long conflict, revealing the scale of atrocities taking place in the war-torn nation.
Since the start of 2024, at least 221 cases of rape against children have been officially reported, though UNICEF warns the real number is likely much higher. A third of the victims were boys, who often encounter additional barriers in reporting sexual violence and accessing support.
The report reveals that 16 of the victims were under the age of five, including four infants. Testimonies from survivors underscore the brutality of the attacks, with one woman recalling how young girls were repeatedly raped by armed men, leaving them wrapped in blood and barely conscious.
While UNICEF does not directly identify the perpetrators, previous UN investigations have attributed the majority of the sexual violence to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF, engaged in a brutal conflict against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), has been accused of using rape as a weapon of war to instil fear and suppress opposition. Reports also suggest that victims in Darfur were specifically targeted based on their ethnicity, as black Africans were attacked in apparent efforts to drive them from the region.
“Millions of children in Sudan are at risk of rape and other forms of sexual violence, which is being used as a tactic of war. This is an abhorrent violation of international law and could constitute a war crime. It must stop.” – @unicefchief
Details: https://t.co/FEf9rue9HW pic.twitter.com/9Dv3rImQny
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) March 4, 2025
The humanitarian response in Sudan remains critically underfunded, with recent US aid cuts further worsening the situation. Local organisations that provided essential support for survivors have been forced to shut down, including “She Leads,” a grassroots initiative that helped 35 survivors each month.
Sudanese human rights defender Sulaima Elkhalifa stated that, “Those who have been raped by armed men don’t have the luxury of being depressed,” highlighting the alarming circumstances faced by survivors amid ongoing war and displacement.
Three-quarters of school-age girls in Sudan are currently out of school, increasing their vulnerability to sexual violence. Meanwhile, many medical facilities have been destroyed or occupied by armed groups, leaving victims with few places to seek treatment.
Despite the overwhelming crisis, women-led local organisations receive less than 2 percent of the total funding from the UN’s Sudan Humanitarian Fund, further limiting the support available to survivors. With international aid dwindling, human rights groups warn that the situation in Sudan is set to worsen even further, leaving countless victims without the help they desperately need.
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