...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans...are facing increasing pressure, including murder, rape, and harassment, in conflict areas.
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On October 2, 2023, Rapid Support Forces (RSF) members assassinated Siham Hassan Mustafa, a member of the al-Jarif West Emergency Room and the Women’s Response Room, which works to support women affected by the war. Mustafa was shot in the head and chest while trying to protect herself and her family during a raid on their home by the RSF. Another woman was raped during the raid.
On September 28, volunteers accused members of the RSF of raping a Khartoum Bahri Emergency Room member at gunpoint while she was working to assess the needs of those affected by the military conflict in the region.
In areas under the control of the Sudanese army, security forces have restricted and suppressed the freedom of female volunteers to engage in humanitarian work.
In the Blue Nile region, the activities of a feminist awareness initiative were frozen on the pretext of violating the voluntary work law. In Gedaref State in eastern Sudan, a police force took away one of the activists while organizing an educational seminar targeting women to combat the cholera epidemic spreading in the state. In the Nile River State, authorities arrested three female volunteers and prevented them from practising humanitarian work.
In addition to the rape of the emergency room member in Khartoum Bahri, Sudan Tribune learned from reliable sources that members of the RSF also raped a female doctor on her way home from work. She received treatment in a shelter in Bud Madani, the capital of al-Jazira State.
A responsible at the shelter centre who supervised the survivor’s treatment said the doctor preferred to keep the matter secret for fear of her reputation and standing in society. This confirms that many victims of sexual assault choose to remain silent for fear of societal stigma.