Sexual violence used as 'weapon of war' in Sudan conflict: UN report

Sexual violence has been systematically used as a "weapon of war" throughout Sudan's conflict, with hundreds of verified cases representing only a fraction of the actual scale of abuses, according to a UN human rights report released Tuesday.

The report by the UN Human Rights Office documented 546 incidents of conflict-related sexual violence across 16 of Sudan's 18 states between the start of the conflict in April 2023 and mid-April 2026, affecting at least 838 victims, including 539 women, 284 girls, eight men and seven boys.

The report said sexual violence has accompanied both the geographic spread of the conflict and displacement routes, and has been used to terrorize and traumatize civilians.

"As I warned at the end of my mission to Sudan in January, sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement. "This is a war crime and, if committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack, a crime against humanity."

Most verified incidents were attributed to men in Rapid Support Forces (RSF) uniforms, affiliated groups and Arab militias, though abuses were also linked to the Sudanese Armed Forces and other armed actors.

The report documented rape, gang rape, sexual slavery, forced marriage and sexual torture. At least 85 women and girls were held in sexual slavery, while at least 59 became pregnant or gave birth following rape. It also documented the deaths of at least 13 victims — women, men and children — mostly following brutal gang rapes. The youngest victim was nine years old.

Warning that impunity is fueling further abuses, Turk called for independent investigations and accountability for all perpetrators, including those exercising command responsibility.