Politics Mission against sexualized violence in Sudan called for
In view of the widespread sexualized violence since the beginning of the conflict in Sudan, the human rights organization Human Rights Watch is calling for a UN mission to protect civilians. Such a UN or African Union (AU) mission should have a "robust mandate".
29.07.2024, 11:56
SDA
This is the conclusion of a published report. It should focus on regions where human rights violations are particularly widespread, including in Darfur, the report continues.
Hala Al-Karib, Regional Director of the Strategic Initiative of Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA), which had also published a report on violence against women in the state of Al-Jazeera, also spoke out in favor of an international tribunal to punish the acts.
"No civilian is safe," said Mohamed Osman, one of the authors of the report, which is based on interviews with doctors, healthcare workers and first responders.
The situation in the capital Khartoum has been studied since the start of the conflict in April 2023, but there are reports of sexual violence, enslavement, forced marriages and rape of women and girls, some as young as nine years old, from all regions where fighting is taking place.
However, due to the cultural stigma, those affected often only turn to hospitals when they are pregnant.
A bloody power struggle between de facto ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo has been raging in Sudan for more than a year. According to the UN, the conflict has caused almost ten million people to flee their homes.
