Rape and sexual violence have become a grim part of daily life in parts of Sudan, even in areas where active fighting has moved on, according to a disturbing new report by the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
The charity describes rape as a “defining feature” of Sudan’s brutal civil war. It says armed men – often from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – carry out these attacks with shocking brutality and humiliation.
The violence doesn’t stop when the front lines shift; it lingers as an “insidious” threat in communities trying to rebuild or simply survive.
The report, one of the most detailed accounts yet of sexual violence in the nearly three-year conflict, is based on heartbreaking testimonies from 3,396 survivors who sought treatment at MSF-supported clinics in North and South Darfur between January 2024 and November 2025.While both the Sudanese army and the RSF have been accused of sexual violence, the vast majority of cases in Darfur – the RSF’s stronghold – were carried out by RSF fighters, survivors said.Many of the worst incidents happened last year in North Darfur after the RSF seized displaced persons camps at Zamzam and Abu Shouk,
and captured the city of el-Fasher in October. MSF called the events there “one of the most shocking” episodes of the war, marked by unimaginable brutality.More than 90% of the victims treated by MSF were attacked while fleeing these areas toward safety in the town of Tawila. Many suffered gang rapes involving multiple attackers, often accompanied by beatings, threats with guns, and the murder of family members in front of them.One survivor described her ordeal: “They took us to an open area.
The first man raped me twice, the second once, the third four times and the fourth once. Apart from the rapes, they beat us with sticks and pointed guns at my head.”Another woman told how two women in her group were raped by several men in front of the others. One 22-year-old girl died during the attack.
The report also highlights a clear ethnic dimension to the violence. Non-Arab communities, such as the Zaghawa, Massalit, and Fur, appear to have been systematically targeted.In South Darfur, far from the main battle zones, sexual violence has sadly become normalised. More than 1,300 survivors – 56% of those who came to MSF clinics in the state – were raped while doing ordinary daily tasks: collecting firewood or water, working in fields, or travelling to markets and farms