GENEVA: The United Nations (UN) issued a grave warning on Friday, expressing deep concern over the deteriorating situation in Sudan’s western Darfur region. UN human rights office spokeswoman Elizabeth Throssell revealed that women and girls were being abducted and held in inhumane, degrading conditions resembling slavery in areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Darfur.
According to credible information, more than 20 women and girls have been forcibly taken, with reports suggesting the actual number could be higher.
Throssell disclosed harrowing details, citing survivors, witnesses, and other sources who reported seeing women and girls in chains on pick-up trucks and cars. The Joint Human Rights Office in Sudan documented over 50 incidents of sexual violence linked to the conflict, impacting at least 105 victims, including 86 women, one man, and 18 children.
Of these incidents, 23 involved rape, 26 were cases of gang rape, and three were attempted rapes. Shockingly, 70 percent of the confirmed cases of sexual violence were attributed to men in RSF uniforms.
UN Demands Zero Tolerance for Sexual Violence in Sudan
UN human rights chief Volker Turk urgently called on senior officials from both sides of the conflict to issue clear instructions to their forces, demanding zero tolerance of sexual violence. Meanwhile, the UN humanitarian agency OCHA emphasized the worsening conditions faced by civilians in Darfur, describing the situation as becoming increasingly violent.
OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke urged all parties involved to avoid escalating and expanding the conflict, emphasizing the immense suffering experienced by the people of Darfur, particularly women, both in the past and amid the current conflict.
The crisis has resulted in the displacement of over 5.7 million people in Sudan, with more than 25 million, over half of the population, now in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
