Women struggle to survive in war-torn Sudan

In war-torn Omdurman, Sudan, women are enduring sexual abuse by soldiers in exchange for food and basic necessities, according to testimonies from over two dozen survivors reported by the Guardian. These women, unable to escape the ongoing conflict, reveal the dire circumstances they face amid the violence.

Desperate measures for survival

Women struggling to survive amid the conflict report being abused by Sudanese army personnel as a means to access food or goods for their families. Many of these incidents occur in the city’s “factories area,” where food supplies are concentrated.

A 37-year-old woman victim talking to Guardian, who was previously employed as a maid, recounted her experiences of being coerced into abusive activities at a meat-processing factory and a warehouse storing fava beans. She emphasized her dire circumstances, stating, “Both of my parents are too old and sick, and I never let my daughter go out to look for food.”

Documented systematic abuse

Reports of sexual violence by armed men have surfaced since the conflict began on April 15, 2023. Numerous accounts of systematic sexual violence by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters have been documented in the Khartoum area and Darfur. Women have reported soldiers demanding sexual favors in exchange for access to abandoned houses to loot items for sale in local markets.

One woman recounted to the Guardian that after enduring abuse, she was permitted to collect food, kitchen items, and perfumes from abandoned homes. She expressed her distress, stating, “I am not a thief … I only did it because I wanted to feed my children.”

Challenges for aid organizations

Despite efforts by aid organizations to deliver food to those in dire need, the women interviewed reported seeing no international aid in their neighborhoods. The U.N.’s World Food Programme has confirmed deliveries to the Khartoum area, but the critical situation in Omdurman persists.

Retaliation and abuse

In some instances, women who refuse to be abused face severe retaliation. A 21-year-old woman described being tortured by soldiers after she refused to be abused. She showed burn marks on her legs and recounted, “I was told by the soldiers that I was full of myself for refusing to go with them.”

Residents and soldiers in Omdurman corroborated these reports of sexual exploitation. One soldier admitted witnessing his colleagues taking advantage of women, describing an incident where a woman was abused in exchange for allowing her sisters to loot houses.

The ongoing conflict in Sudan has left tens of thousands dead and displaced over 10 million people, according to the United Nations.