A detailed investigative report published by the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) has shed light on the widespread use of sexual violence during the ongoing war in Sudan. The study meticulously examines five specific locations and timeframes of reported abuses, cross-referencing the appearances, roles, and movements of 25 commanders from both the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces, alongside evidence gathered by the United Nations and international human rights organizations.

According to the findings, Khademallah Khashmin Herika, a major commanding the RSF’s female contingent, was recorded explicitly inciting fighters to commit sexual violence against women in Sudan’s Northern State. While investigators could not independently verify the exact filming location of that specific video, separate footage placed Herika in areas where systematic abuses and detentions were documented. The most senior RSF officer identified around el-Fasher was Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, whose presence was verified at multiple strategic military and medical sites during the violent takeover.

The investigation also tracked commanders who switched allegiances during the protracted conflict. Abuaqla Mohamed Ahmed Alwakil, commonly known as Kaykal, defected from the RSF to the military side, subsequent to which forces under his command were implicated in the abduction of civilians in Gezira. Despite mounting documentation from the UN and organizations such as Human Rights Watch detailing mass rapes, arbitrary detentions, and extrajudicial actions, the leadership of both warring factions has consistently denied any involvement of their personnel in such crimes.

In response to the escalating atrocities, the British regime announced targeted sanctions against 15 senior commanders from the rival Sudanese forces, imposing asset freezes and travel bans over suspected conflict-related sexual violence. Concurrently, the British authorities pledged multi-million-pound funding packages aimed at supporting survivors with healthcare and psychosocial services. However, human rights monitors emphasize that persistent stigma, widespread insecurity, and institutional limitations continue to severely obstruct accountability and justice for victims.

Source: www.aljazeera.com