The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) expresses deep concern over the increasing trend of sexual violence during the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan. Survivors have identified armed actors as perpetrators including the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Arab militia, and Sudanese Alliance Forces. Scores of women and girls have been subjected to sexual violence including rape. Some have been held for several days in conditions of sexual slavery. In this release, ACJPS has documented an incident where seven university girls were abducted by the Sudanese Alliance Forces and sexually violated for 14 days.
On 25 May 2023, Sudanese Alliance Forces created a checkpoint near Alzahra girls’ hostel near Elgenina University located west of Elgenina town. At around 10:00 pm, a group of soldiers dressed in plain clothes led by Mr. Abdallah alias Abutalateen raided the hostel that was occupied by 17 students originally from North, South, East, and Central Darfur states who had stayed and were unable to return home because of the armed conflict.
The girls were divided into two groups. Ten girls stayed in the hostel while seven girls were moved to a vacant five-bedroomed house that had been abandoned by its owners in the Alnahda neighborhood. The girls who were moved to the private house in Alnahda were sexually abused from the day of their abduction. Their nude pictures/videos were recorded and the perpetrators threatened to publish them on social media. The girls were also forced to do chores like cooking and washing clothes.