Medical charity Doctors Without Borders has accused Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias of systematically using sexual violence as a weapon of war in Darfur, as the country’s conflict approaches its third year. Sudan has been engulfed in fighting between the RSF and the national army since April 2023, a war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced an estimated 11 million people, creating one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. In a new report, MSF said at least 3,396 survivors of sexual violence—97 percent of them women and girls received treatment at its supported facilities in North and South Darfur between January 2024 and November 2025.
The organization stressed that the figure likely represents only a small portion of the true scale due to underreporting, stigma, and limited access to medical care. Drawing on medical data and survivor testimonies, MSF concluded that the abuse appears deliberate and systematic. Many survivors “frequently and clearly” identified RSF fighters as the perpetrators, the report noted, adding that such acts violate international humanitarian law. The report also highlighted patterns of targeted violence during major attacks, including an April assault on Zamzam camp, which housed nearly 500,000 displaced people. Testimonies from around 150 victims suggest that certain ethnic groups, particularly the non-Arab Zaghawa community, were singled out.
Sexual violence has not been confined to active battle zones. Survivors reported assaults in everyday settings including roads, farms, markets, and displacement camps underscoring the widespread insecurity faced by civilians. In the Darfur city of El-Fasher, which fell to RSF forces in October 2025, a UN fact-finding mission has previously reported “acts of genocide.” MSF documented 732 additional cases in displacement camps between December 2025 and January 2026 alone, with some victims attacked while fleeing violence or seeking refuge. “This war is being fought on the backs and bodies of women and girls,” said MSF emergency health manager Ruth Kauffman, describing sexual violence as a defining feature of the conflict.
