Ahmed Salem

A new United Nations report has warned of the increasing use of sexual violence as a weapon of war in the ongoing conflict in Sudan, describing its scale and brutality as unprecedented.

Sudan has been experiencing a devastating civil war since 2023, following a dispute between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

546 incidents of sexual violence linked to the Sudan war

The United Nations confirmed 546 incidents of conflict-related sexual violence, which claimed the lives of at least 838 people, mostly women and girls, amid beliefs that the true number is much higher due to underreporting.

The report indicates that sexual violence has spread along the paths of conflict and displacement, and has been consistently used to terrorize and traumatize civilians.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom and six other European countries joined the calls for an immediate end to the violence in El Obeid, amid growing fears that the Rapid Support Forces were preparing to launch a large-scale offensive to take control of the city.

The repercussions of the Sudan war

Fighting in Sudan's war has led to the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with more than 11 million people displaced from their homes and another 28 million facing acute hunger, according to aid agencies.

Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated that sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war in the ongoing conflicts in Sudanese cities.

The United States renews its commitment to ending the war in Sudan.

In a related context, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bisent affirmed the Trump administration's commitment to "achieving lasting peace in Sudan.".

This is evident in the United States providing $20 million in emergency food aid in March, and the $200 million it recently donated during the Sudan Humanitarian Fund appeal for action hosted by the United States last February.

Sudan War

He stressed that his country calls on both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to accept an immediate humanitarian truce for three months without preconditions in order to «pave the way for negotiations aimed at a permanent ceasefire.».

He urged «all external parties to cease financial and military support to the warring parties.».

The Treasury Department said the latest punitive action was taken pursuant to President Trump’s executive order to «impose sanctions on certain individuals who destabilize Sudan and undermine the goal of democratic transition.».