Sexual violence has become a widespread weapon of terror in Sudan’s ongoing conflict, with women and girls targeted on a massive scale. UNFPA reports that over 12 million people are at risk of gender-based violence. Survivors face brutal assaults, stigma, and inadequate care due to funding cuts, which have forced more than half of UN-supported health facilities to shut down. Midwives describe sexual violence as “as widespread as guns and bullets,” with most incidents attributed to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). UN experts warn this violence is being used systematically to terrorize communities and force displacement.
Compiled from: “'As widespread as guns and bullets': Sexual violence used to terrorize Sudan’s women and girls,” UNFPA, June 19, 2025.