Darfur Survival Campaign

Rape as a Weapon of War in Darfur

Rape and sexual violence continue at an alarming rate in the ongoing genocide in Darfur. Sudanese security forces, including police deployed to protect Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and allied Janjaweed militias have been implicated in acts of rape and sexual violence. Women IDPs and refugees report also being forced to exchange sexual favors for desperately needed goods and services. The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has identified "high numbers of… mass rapes and other forms of extremely serious gender violence."

Mass rapes in Darfur effectively terrorize the people, break their will, and destroy the fabric of society. In addition to causing horrific mental and physical trauma, rape has serious social and economic consequences in Darfurian society, often making the victim ineligible for marriage and causing her to be ostracized by the community and even her own family.

Forty percent of women interviewed in three villages in different areas of Darfur reported in PHR's study, Darfur: Assault on Survival, that they had either been a victim of or a witness to sexual assault during the attacks on their villages. Rape is a crime against humanity and its widespread use in the conflict by the Janjaweed militias in concert with the Government of Sudan is also well documented in the report The Use Of Rape As A Weapon Of War In The Conflict In Darfur, Sudan prepared by Dr. Jennifer Leaning and Tara Gingerich for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with assistance from PHR, in October 2004.

The 7,000 African Union (AMIS) forces currently deployed in Darfur have been largely unable to protect women from rape. One of AMIS' few programs specifically designed to protect women, the provision of armed escorts for women going to collect firewood, was recently discontinued due to mandate and financial issues.

This situation of continued widespread rape and sexual violence further highlights the need for a robust, international force capable of protecting the civilians of Darfur.