UNICEF reports shocking child rape in Sudan conflict

Children as young as one have been raped by armed men during the conflict in Sudan, the UN said on Tuesday, condemning it as a horror that should "shock anyone to their core".

UNICEF said the scale of child rape in war-ravaged Sudan was far more widespread than just the documented cases and urged all sides to end sexual violence as a war tactic.

Gender-based violence (GBV) service providers in Sudan recorded some 221 cases of child rape since the beginning of 2024.

Of those cases, 66 percent of the survivors were girls and 33 percent were boys.

There were 16 survivors under the age of five -- including four who were as young as one.

The UN children's agency recorded an additional 77 reported cases of sexual assault against children -- primarily attempted rape.

"Painstakingly verified by the United Nations, these figures provide only a partial picture of the true magnitude of violence inflicted against children," UNICEF said.

It said survivors and their families were often unwilling or unable to come forward, fearing stigma, rejection from their family or community, retribution from armed groups, confidentiality breaches, or being accused of being a collaborator.

Life-long consequences

"Children as young as one being raped by armed men should shock anyone to their core and compel immediate action," said UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell.

"Millions of children in Sudan are at risk of rape and other forms of sexual violence, which is being used as a tactic of war. This is an abhorrent violation of international law and could constitute a war crime. It must stop."

Sudan's regular army (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in a battle for power since April 2023.

The fighting has plunged Sudan into what the UN calls the world's largest humanitarian catastrophe.

In its report entitled "Sudan's child rape and sexual violence crisis", UNICEF said attacks included armed men storming homes and demanding families surrender their girls; and raping girls in front of their loved ones.

The report did not single out either the SAF or the RSF as being behind particular crimes.

Victims were left with serious physical injury, including wounds, fractures, abscesses, and other complications.

"No person, no child, should have to endure these horrors," the report said.

It said sexual violence could have life-long consequences and leave survivors facing "impossible choices" such as handling a resultant pregnancy, and whether to speak out or seek health support.

'Crying and screaming'

UNICEF released clips from interviews with victims, maintaining their anonymity.

"They forced me into a big car... They took me to a place next to a railway, and three people raped me," said one 16-year-old girl.

"They were beating me and raping me and threw me next to the railway, and a woman came and helped me go home... and when I arrived, I was in a terrible condition."

The girl is now nine months pregnant.

An adult woman was held by armed men for 19 days in a room with other women and girls.

"After nine at night, someone opens the door, carrying a whip, selects one of the girls, and takes her to another room. I could hear the little girl crying and screaming. They were raping her," she said.

"Every time they raped her, this girl would come back covered in blood... They only release these girls at dawn, and they return almost unconscious."

UNICEF urged the Sudanese government and all parties to the conflict to respect their obligations to protect civilians, especially children, while those providing services to survivors must be protected.

"In decision-making on funding, GBV programmes must be treated by donors as lifesaving," the agency said.