Mass Rape in Darfur by Sudanese Army Reports Human Rights Group

Back in October of 2014, the Sudanese army committed a systematic attack on a civilian population in the north Darfur town of Tabit. The Human Rights Watch published a report on Wednesday that details the incident, and the context of the attack.

Though the Sudanese government denied direct access to the town of Tabit, HRW was able to gather information through interviews with victims, officials, and army personnel. HRW documented 27 first hand accounts of rape. Their research and cross-referencing showed that at least 221 girls and women were raped in the town of Tabit over the course of 36 hours beginning from October 30, 2014.

According to two defected soldiers interviewed by HRW, superior officers order the soldiers to rape the women. Victim accounts detailed the sexual violence on the females of Tabit. According to the reports, even girls under the age of 11 were raped.

“Then they started beating us. They raped my three daughters and me. Some of them were holding the girl down while another one was raping her. They did it one by one,” said a 40-year-old mother to the HRW.

Witnesses stated that the soldiers went from house to house and looted belongings, beat the men, and raped the girls and women. Individuals that were caught communicating the events to outside sources were severely tortured. One individual was whipped with electric wire for talking to a relative about the atrocities committed in Tabit. The Sudanese government prevents free entrance and exit from the village in order to prevent news of their crimes from spreading.

The Sudanese army has been known to commit atrocities against citizens. In 2014, the Sudanese government created a new force called the Rapid Support Force. The RSF has committed extreme sexual violence throughout Sudan. Government lead attacks on civilian populations in 2014 alone have displaced almost 500,000 individuals and destroyed over 3,000 villages.

The International Criminal Court has charged President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir with crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes. Despite the charges, the Sudanese government has not cooperated with the UN in investigation.

In 2014, the Sudanese government created a new force called the Rapid Support Force. The RSF has committed extreme sexual violence throughout Sudan. Government lead attacks on civilian populations have displaced almost 500,000 individuals and destroyed over 3,000 villages.

The ICC and the UN are aware of the situation in Darfur, but the Sudanese government is attempting to hide its crimes and therefore refusing to cooperate with the criminal court in its attempts to investigate. HRW urges the UN Security Council and the African Union to exercise their power to “stop these attacks” and “conduct a credible investigation”.