Sudan’s Armed Forces Accused of Systematic Sexual Violence Against Children, UNICEF Reports
A recent report from UNICEF, the UN’s children’s agency, has revealed that armed forces involved in Sudan’s ongoing civil conflict are committing widespread sexual violence against young children, with victims as young as one year old.
The report, published on Tuesday, March 4, documents at least 221 cases of child rape recorded since the start of 2024, alongside an additional 77 reported incidents of sexual assault against minors.
Among the survivors were four one-year-olds, while another 12 were under the age of five. The report also highlighted that 66% of those raped were girls, while boys accounted for 33% of cases.
The data, sourced from gender-based violence service providers in Sudan, represents only a “small fraction” of the actual cases, UNICEF warned. Many survivors, their families, and even frontline workers hesitate to report these crimes due to barriers in accessing support, cultural stigmas, and fears of retaliation from armed groups.
Based on firsthand accounts from December 2024 and January 2025, the report describes incidents where children were subjected to sexual violence during city invasions, while escaping conflict, during captivity, or in detention. Some were reportedly assaulted in exchange for food or essential supplies.
Sudan has been engulfed in war for nearly two years as rival factions battle for control.
The conflict pits two opposing military leaders—General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who commands the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF)—against each other. Their violent struggle has further destabilized a country still grappling with the atrocities of the early 2000s, which saw tens of thousands killed and millions displaced.
Since April 2023, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data initiative estimates that over 28,700 people have lost their lives in the ongoing violence.
