Conflict –
The UN deplores an “epidemic of sexual violence” in Sudan
From Sudan, a UN official denounced an “epidemic of sexual violence” against women, describing an “unacceptable” scale.
Published today at 10:43 p.m.
In Sudan, nearly 26 million people — about half the population — are at risk of mass famine.
AFP
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UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher sounded the alarm in Port Sudan on Monday about an “epidemic of sexual violence” against women in war-ravaged Sudan, describing a “unacceptable” scale.
“I am ashamed that we were not able to protect you, and I am ashamed for my fellow men for what they did,” said Tom Fletcher, on his first visit to this city on the Red Sea.
11 million displaced
Port Sudan has become Sudan’s de facto capital since April 2023, when Khartoum was plunged into war between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The war has killed tens of thousands, displaced more than 11 million people and created what the UN calls the worst humanitarian crisis in recent memory. Nearly 26 million people — about half the population — are threatened with mass starvation, with both warring sides accused of using hunger as a weapon of war.
During his visit, Tom Fletcher met with army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhane, Sudan’s de facto ruler, and discussed efforts to “increase the delivery of aid across borders and borders.” lines of conflict. Humanitarian workers and organizations denounce bureaucratic obstacles imposed by the government.
The world “must do better”
At an event at a school in Port Sudan to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Tom Fletcher said the world “must do better” for the women of Sudan, who are exposed to systematic sexual violence.
Rapes, including collective rapes, are “generalized” in Sudan after 18 months of civil war, according to a UN investigative report published at the end of October, which targets in particular the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (FSR).
“The scale of sexual violence we have seen in Sudan is staggering,” said a statement from the president of the fact-finding mission on Sudan, Mohamed Chande Othman. Children are not spared, and women and girls are kidnapped for the purposes of sexual slavery, this report highlighted.
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