The Republic of Sudan
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Office of the Spokesperson and Media Directorate

Press Statement

Tomorrow, Monday, November 25, marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. On this important occasion, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs once again draws the attention of the international community to the unprecedented and widespread atrocities systematically perpetrated by the Janjaweed militia against women and girls, including minors, in various regions of Sudan. These atrocities include crimes such as rape, abduction, sexual enslavement, trafficking, forced marriage, and other forms of violence, as well as inhumane, degrading, cruel, and dishonorable treatment targeting women, their families, and their communities.

No fewer than 500 cases of rape have been documented by official entities, specialized organizations, and human rights groups, limited to survivors from areas invaded by the Militia. Undoubtedly, additional cases remain undocomumented because they are not reported, or due the existence of victims in areas under the Militia’s control. It is also estimated that several hundred women and girls have been abducted and are being held as hostages, subjected to sexual enslavement or forced domestic labor, with reports of girls being trafficked outside their communities and even beyond Sudan and sold.

The Militia employs rape as a weapon of war to force citizens to abandon their villages and homes to resettle mercenaries and to punish communities that refuse their presence. It is also used as part of their strategy of genocide and ethnic cleansing, targeting specific ethnic groups, by killing all males and raping women and girls to produce offspring who can be assimilated into the tribes of the Militia’s members.

The Government of Sudan, along with UN experts, senior officials, and numerous international and national human rights organizations, have been raising alarms about these crimes since the Militia launched its war against the Sudanese people, Armed Forces, and the national state in April of last year. However, the international response has so far not matched the scale of these atrocities, which surpass those committed by ISIS, Boko Haram, and the Lord’s Resistance Army against women. These crimes undeniably represent the worst violations faced by women globally today.

On the contrary, states and groups supporting the terrorist militia continue to provide military, financial, political, and media backing, making them fully complicit in these crimes. Meanwhile, the militia’s propaganda officials and spokespersons persist in their malicious activities from Western and African capitals, promoting and justifying these atrocities. This lenient attitude only encourages impunity, leading to the continuation of crimes and violations against women.

Sunday, November 24, 2024