Sudan is on the brink of collapse after 17 months of devastating civil war. The army has begun a major attack in Khartoum, targeting areas controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which took control of most of the capital at the war’s start. The army now holds the nearby city of Omdurman, but some people still find ways to cross between the two.
I met a group of women who had walked four hours to a market in army-controlled territory, looking for cheaper food. They came from Dar es Salaam, an area under RSF control. They explained that their husbands stayed home because RSF fighters abused them, took their money, or detained them for ransom. “We endure this hardship because we want to feed our children. We’re hungry, we need food,” one woman said.
When I asked if the women felt safer than men, the atmosphere turned somber. One woman cried out, “Where is the world? Why don’t you help us?” She spoke of many women who had been assaulted but were afraid to speak out, wondering what good it would do. She recounted that RSF soldiers forced girls to lie in the streets at night and kept them for days if they returned late from the market. “If your child went out, would you leave her?” she asked. “What can we do? Nothing is in our hands, no one cares for us. Where is the world? Why don’t you help us?”
This crossing point highlights the deep despair and desperation many face in Sudan.
One rape survivor, who identified herself as Miriam, bravely confronted two armed men trying to assault her daughters. “If you want to rape anyone, it has to be me,” she told them. They attacked her but, thankfully, the girls managed to escape.
Reports from the UN indicate that sexual violence is rampant in this conflict, with accusations that the RSF is using rape as a weapon of war. A recent UN investigation found numerous cases of sexual violence committed by RSF soldiers, amounting to violations of international law.
Miriam, who now works at a tea stall after fleeing her home, recounted her harrowing experience. Meanwhile, another woman, Fatima, shared how her 15-year-old neighbor was raped by RSF soldiers along with her sister. The community was helpless, warned to go back inside their homes or face being shot.
As the war continues, these women face no choice but to return to their dangerous homes, as they are too poor to leave for safer places. The situation in Sudan is dire, and many are crying out for help, hoping the world will hear their pleas【BBC】.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce3zq40qq25o