Women and girls fleeing the escalating violence in El Fasher, Sudan, are coming forward with harrowing testimonies of sexual abuse at the hands of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters. Their accounts paint a chilling picture of life in a conflict zone where safety, dignity, and basic human rights have all but collapsed. Many survivors describe being intercepted as they attempted to escape active fighting, only to be detained, threatened with weapons, and subjected to repeated sexual assaults. Some recount being held captive in temporary hideouts, where RSF fighters operated with complete impunity.
The trauma extends far beyond individual experiences. Several women reported witnessing assaults on othersâmothers separated from daughters, young girls taken away from their families, and elderly women attacked with the same brutality. Yet despite the scale of the abuse, only a small number of cases ever make it to authorities. Fear of retaliation, deep psychological trauma, and the lack of any reliable or safe reporting mechanisms keep most survivors silent. Many have lost trust in local institutions, believing that speaking out could lead to further danger.
Humanitarian organisations working on the ground warn that this surge in gender-based violence reflects a broader pattern of exploitation and abuse in conflict-affected regions of Sudan. In displacement camps and temporary shelters, women often struggle to access the most basic support, medical care for injuries and infections, psychological counselling to cope with trauma, or legal assistance to pursue justice. Health centres are understaffed, protection units are nearly non-existent, and mobility is restricted by ongoing clashes.
Aid agencies stress that the crisis is reaching a critical breaking point. They are calling for urgent international intervention to ensure safe corridors for women and children, reinforce protection services, and hold perpetrators accountable under international humanitarian law. Without immediate action, they warn, thousands of vulnerable women and girls will remain at risk, their suffering unnoticed and their voices unheard in a conflict that continues to escalate with devastating consequences.
