Children as young as one-year-old have been raped in conflict-ravaged Sudan since the beginning of 2024.
The United Nations Children’s Agency (UNICEF) has disclosed that sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war in the ongoing conflict.
UNICEF has documented 221 cases of child rape, including both boys and girls, perpetrated by armed men.
The data, compiled by gender-based violence service providers, highlights the widespread nature of these atrocities in Sudan.
On Tuesday, the agency revealed that children were raped during attacks on cities, with more than 30% of the victims being boys. Among the 221 documented cases, 16 involved children under the age of five, including four infants.
These cases were reported across multiple states, including Gedaref, Kassala, Gezeira, Khartoum, River Nile, Northern State, South Kordofan, North Darfur, and West Darfur.
Of the 221 recorded cases, 73 were directly linked to the conflict, while 71 were classified as unrelated. The remaining cases lacked sufficient details to determine their cause, according to Tess Ingram, a UNICEF spokesperson.
“In a society where sexual violence carries a severe social stigma and where access to essential services has been severely disrupted, the fact that these cases have been reported suggests that the real numbers are far higher,” Ingram said. “This is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Survivors often hesitate to report their experiences due to stigma, fear of retaliation from armed groups, and the risk of being shunned by their families.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell condemned the use of sexual violence as a war tactic, stating that such acts violate international laws, including those designed to protect children.
The war in Sudan erupted in April 2023 between the country’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with intense fighting in Khartoum and other regions. Since then, at least 20,000 people have been killed—though the actual death toll is believed to be much higher. The conflict has also displaced over 14 million people and pushed parts of the country into famine.
Rights groups report that both warring factions have committed atrocities, including sexual violence and forced child marriages. According to UNICEF, an estimated 61,800 children have been internally displaced since the conflict began.
Source: Africafeeds.com
