Women and girls in Sudan’s Darfur region are facing an alarming prevalence of sexual violence amid ongoing conflict, according to Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).
The organization reported that survivors, including children as young as 5, have recounted harrowing experiences of rape and assault, often perpetrated by armed groups.
"Women and girls do not feel safe anywhere. They are attacked in their own homes, when fleeing violence, getting food, collecting firewood, and working in the fields. They tell us they feel trapped," said Claire San Filippo, MSF emergency coordinator.
"These attacks are heinous and cruel, often involving multiple perpetrators. This must stop. Sexual violence is not a natural or inevitable consequence of war; it can constitute a war crime, a form of torture, and a crime against humanity," she added.
Between January 2024 and March 2025, MSF provided care to 659 survivors of sexual violence in South Darfur. Of these, 86% reported being raped, 94% were women and girls.
Around 56% of survivors identified their assailants as members of military, police, or other security forces, or non-state armed groups. Additionally, 55% reported experiencing additional physical violence during the assault. Alarmingly, 31% were under 18, with 7% younger than 10 years old.
The crisis extends beyond Sudan’s borders. In eastern Chad, which hosts over 800,000 Sudanese refugees, MSF treated 94 survivors between January and March 2025 in Wadi Fira Province, 81 of whom were under 18.
In Adre, nearly half of the 44 survivors treated since January were children.
Survivors’ testimonies reveal the brutality of the assaults. A 17-year-old rape survivor recounted: "When we arrived in Kulbus, we saw a group of three women with some RSF (Rapid Support Forces) men guarding them. The RSF also ordered us to stay with them. They told us, ‘You are the wives of the Sudanese army or their girls.’ ... Then they beat us, and they raped us right there on the road, in public. There were nine RSF men. Seven of them raped me. I wanted to lose my memory after that."
Access to medical and psychological care remains limited. Survivors often face barriers such as stigma, fear of retaliation, and lack of services.
One 27-year-old woman in eastern Chad shared: "I cannot say anything to the community because it will be a shame for my family. So, I didn’t say anything about what happened to me before today. I’m only asking for medical help now. I was too afraid to go to the hospital. My family told me, 'Don’t tell anybody.'"
In response, MSF has implemented community-based programs in South Darfur, training midwives and healthcare workers to provide emergency contraceptives and psychological first aid, and to facilitate referrals to clinics and hospitals.
Since the program's inception, there has been a significant increase in women and adolescents seeking care.
MSF emphasizes the urgent need for warring parties to protect civilians and for humanitarian services to be scaled up.
"Access to services for survivors of sexual violence is lacking and, like most humanitarian and healthcare services in Sudan, must urgently be scaled up," said Ruth Kauffman, MSF emergency medical manager.
"People – mostly women and girls – who suffer sexual violence urgently need medical care, including psychological support, and protection services," she added.
The organization calls on all parties involved in the conflict to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and to ensure the safety and dignity of all civilians.
