In the war-ravaged city of Omdurman, Sudan, women are grappling with a harrowing reality. According to a report from The Guardian, women are being forced into sexual acts with Sudanese army personnel in exchange for food for their families. Over two dozen women, unable to escape the ongoing conflict, have shared their experiences of this dire situation.
The women revealed that the majority of these assaults occurred in the “factories area” of Omdurman, where the city’s food supply is most abundant.
One victim, a 37-year-old woman, recounted her ordeal, saying, “Both of my parents are too old and sick and I never let my daughter go out to look for food. I went to the soldiers and that was the only way to get food – they were everywhere in the factories area.”
She was compelled to have sex with soldiers at a meat-processing factory in May of the previous year, shortly after the outbreak of Sudan’s devastating civil war between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. She faced the same situation again in January at a warehouse storing fava beans.
Prior to the war, the woman, who appeared pale and thin during interviews, had worked as a maid for affluent families in Omdurman. However, her financial situation prevented her from fleeing the city with her family to a safer region when the conflict erupted.
The ongoing conflict in Sudan has resulted in a devastating humanitarian crisis, with the United Nations reporting a significant number of casualties and widespread displacement. According to a recent UN-backed report, more than half of the country’s population is grappling with severe levels of “acute food insecurity”.
Since the outbreak of violence on 15 April 2023, there have been numerous reports of sexual violence perpetrated by armed men, particularly in the Khartoum area and Darfur. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been accused of systematically committing acts of sexual assault, with the group now controlling most of the major population centres in the western region.
Some women have reported that soldiers are demanding sexual favours in exchange for access to abandoned houses, where they can salvage items to sell in local markets.
One woman recounted the shame and trauma she experienced after being sexually assaulted by soldiers, feeling forced to resort to stealing property in order to survive and provide for her children. “I am not a thief,” she said. “What I went through is indescribable, I would not wish it on an enemy … I only did it because I wanted to feed my children.”
Aid organizations have encountered difficulties in providing food assistance to individuals in critical need across Sudan. Despite the UN’s World Food Programme reporting recent deliveries in the Khartoum region, the women interviewed by the Guardian said that they had not witnessed any international aid reaching their communities.
One of the women, aged 21, revealed that she had been subjected to torture by soldiers after refusing to continue engaging in sexual activities with them. She had previously agreed to have sex with the soldiers in exchange for permission to loot houses in west Omdurman.
However, upon her brothers’ objection to looting, she decided to stop. “I was told by the soldiers that I was full of myself for refusing to go with them,” said the woman, who showed the burn marks on her legs.
Reports of women being coerced into sexual acts were confirmed by both soldiers and residents of Omdurman. One soldier admitted to witnessing his colleagues taking advantage of women, although he claimed to have never personally participated in such behaviour.
He recounted an incident where a woman engaged in sexual activities with soldiers, allowing her sisters to loot houses in return. “It’s awful,” the soldier said. “The amount of the sins in this city can never be forgiven.”
A resident of a neighbourhood in west Omdurman reported observing soldiers bringing women to abandoned houses belonging to those who had fled the area. “A lot of women come and queue outside our neighbourhood,” he said. “The soldiers let them enter and choose those they like the look of to enter houses. I sometimes hear screaming but what can you do? Nothing,” he added.
The women revealed that the majority of these assaults occurred in the “factories area” of Omdurman, where the city’s food supply is most abundant.
One victim, a 37-year-old woman, recounted her ordeal, saying, “Both of my parents are too old and sick and I never let my daughter go out to look for food. I went to the soldiers and that was the only way to get food – they were everywhere in the factories area.”
She was compelled to have sex with soldiers at a meat-processing factory in May of the previous year, shortly after the outbreak of Sudan’s devastating civil war between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. She faced the same situation again in January at a warehouse storing fava beans.
Prior to the war, the woman, who appeared pale and thin during interviews, had worked as a maid for affluent families in Omdurman. However, her financial situation prevented her from fleeing the city with her family to a safer region when the conflict erupted.
The ongoing conflict in Sudan has resulted in a devastating humanitarian crisis, with the United Nations reporting a significant number of casualties and widespread displacement. According to a recent UN-backed report, more than half of the country’s population is grappling with severe levels of “acute food insecurity”.
Since the outbreak of violence on 15 April 2023, there have been numerous reports of sexual violence perpetrated by armed men, particularly in the Khartoum area and Darfur. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been accused of systematically committing acts of sexual assault, with the group now controlling most of the major population centres in the western region.
Some women have reported that soldiers are demanding sexual favours in exchange for access to abandoned houses, where they can salvage items to sell in local markets.
One woman recounted the shame and trauma she experienced after being sexually assaulted by soldiers, feeling forced to resort to stealing property in order to survive and provide for her children. “I am not a thief,” she said. “What I went through is indescribable, I would not wish it on an enemy … I only did it because I wanted to feed my children.”
Aid organizations have encountered difficulties in providing food assistance to individuals in critical need across Sudan. Despite the UN’s World Food Programme reporting recent deliveries in the Khartoum region, the women interviewed by the Guardian said that they had not witnessed any international aid reaching their communities.
One of the women, aged 21, revealed that she had been subjected to torture by soldiers after refusing to continue engaging in sexual activities with them. She had previously agreed to have sex with the soldiers in exchange for permission to loot houses in west Omdurman.
However, upon her brothers’ objection to looting, she decided to stop. “I was told by the soldiers that I was full of myself for refusing to go with them,” said the woman, who showed the burn marks on her legs.
Reports of women being coerced into sexual acts were confirmed by both soldiers and residents of Omdurman. One soldier admitted to witnessing his colleagues taking advantage of women, although he claimed to have never personally participated in such behaviour.
He recounted an incident where a woman engaged in sexual activities with soldiers, allowing her sisters to loot houses in return. “It’s awful,” the soldier said. “The amount of the sins in this city can never be forgiven.”
A resident of a neighbourhood in west Omdurman reported observing soldiers bringing women to abandoned houses belonging to those who had fled the area. “A lot of women come and queue outside our neighbourhood,” he said. “The soldiers let them enter and choose those they like the look of to enter houses. I sometimes hear screaming but what can you do? Nothing,” he added.
