Image credits: AP
Thousands of women and girls sought treatment for sexual violence in war-ravaged Sudan over nearly two years, with Doctors Without Borders saying Tuesday that rape is being used as a weapon in the country’s brutal conflict.The aid group, known by its French acronym MSF, said at least 3,396 survivors of sexual violence were treated at its facilities between January 2024 and November 2025. Most survivors identified the attackers as armed men, while 60% of the reported cases in South Darfur involved multiple perpetrators.In a report released Tuesday, as cited by AP, MSF documented accounts from women who were gang raped in South Darfur and North Darfur, highlighting what it said is a much wider crisis than current figures show.One survivor described her ordeal in the report, saying, “They took us to an open area. The first man raped me twice, the second once, the third four times.”MSF Emergency Coordinator Myriam Laroussi said the numbers recorded in the report reflect only a small part of the violence.Speaking at the report launch in Nairobi, Kenya, Laroussi, who was in Tawila in North Darfur in late 2025 after the fall of El Fasher, said the figures were just a “tip of the iceberg” and that the scale of sexual violence is likely far greater in areas where MSF has no access. Medical workers said survivors often face major delays in reaching treatment. MSF midwife Gloria Endreo said teams in Tawila were seeing an average of 10 to 15 women a day, with most arriving after the first 72 hours, a critical period for treating injuries and trauma, preventing infections and avoiding unwanted pregnancies.Many victims, she said, have to walk for days or travel by camel to reach care.“As healthcare practitioners, we consider the 72 hours as a golden period because we provide a lot of care within that period,” Endreo said.MSF sexual health specialist Andreza Trajano said the violence has also left a deep impact on entire communities.In some cases, girls were raped in front of their mothers and grandparents, she said. Fear of sexual assault has also stopped some people from carrying out daily activities such as farming.“Will we continue to just let women’s and girls’ bodies be used as a weapon of war?” she said.MSF urged the United Nations to strengthen its presence in Sudan to better respond to the needs of affected communities.Sudan descended into chaos in April 2023 after a power struggle between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted into open fighting in Khartoum and other parts of the country. The International Criminal Court is investigating mass killings, gang rapes and other abuses linked to the conflict as potential war crimes and crimes against humanity.The war has killed more than 40,000 people, according to UN figures, though aid groups say the actual death toll is likely much higher.Fighting has recently intensified in the Darfur and Kordofan regions, where deadly attacks, mostly involving drones, have been reported daily. The UN Human Rights Office said more than 500 civilians had been killed in drone strikes this year as of mid-March.
