Sexual violence ‘embedded in fabric of life’ in Darfur

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Rape has become “embedded in the fabric of everyday life” in Darfur, the western region of Sudan that is the size of France and controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. That is the conclusion of a report released by Médecins Sans Frontières, based on interviews with more than 3,000 survivors of sexual violence who sought treatment at the charity’s clinics. The report found that sexual violence is “widespread and systematic” in Darfur and not merely confined to the frontlines. Gender-based violence by the RSF, which has been fighting the Sudan military in the region for three years, has taken place in front of family members and is employed as a tool of terror against Darfur’s non-Arab communities. The testimonies are a reminder of the horrors of an almost forgotten conflict, which has created the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis but continues to be overshadowed by other geopolitical events.