In Sudan, women's bodies have become a battlefield, rape a “war tactic”

They stand in a tight row, wrapped in black abayas and emerald scarves. A half-torn Sudanese flag flies above their heads, in the courtyard of a primary school for girls converted into a training center for aspiring soldiers. On the clay of the Hay El-Shati camp in Omdurman, around a hundred women are learning military discipline, weapons handling, karate and shooting.

They train five times a week, three hours a day, under the supervision of retired officers who have returned to service following the war that has been tearing Sudan apart since April 15, 2023. This pits the armed forces of Sudan (FAS) against each other. , led by General Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Al-Bourhane, and the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (FSR), of General Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, known as “Hemetti”. Across areas controlled by the regular army, dozens of training centers of this type have emerged and thousands of female recruits, called « black fairies »responded to the call.

“I hope they send me to the front line. I am ready to give my soul for the homeland »says Rana Othman, a 42-year-old former teacher, with a defiant look. In reality, the chances of these women joining the battlefield are slim. At the end of their training, they will not be armed. At best, some can hope to join the military administration as communications officers or nurses. The numerous signs on the side of the roads encouraging them to enlist bear witness to this: the recruitment of more and more Sudanese women into the FAS serves propaganda more than the war effort. However, everyone here claims to have come of their own free will.

In the schoolyard, the regiment, made up of women aged 18 to 60, sings the national anthem in unison. For most of them, these training sessions represent above all a means of protecting themselves. “We learn to defend ourselves. We gain self-confidence, and then we find ourselves among sisters at a time when Sudanese women are going through hell”explains Riham El-Hadi, one of the youngest girls. “We have become targets. We no longer want to live in fear”continues this 18-year-old high school student, mascara and gloss on her lips.

They are unanimous: the war which has lasted for eighteen months has made them feel more vulnerable than ever in the face of an explosion of sexist and sexual violence committed by both camps. Cases of harassment, rape (sometimes gang rape), forced marriages, kidnappings, sexual slavery and other abuses are increasing. In a report published on October 23 by United Nations experts, the FSR were held responsible for most of the abuses committed.

You have 76.74% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.