In the war-ravaged town of Omdurman, Sudan, people are grappling with a terrible reality. In exchange for food for their families, people are being forced to engage in sexual acts with Syrian army officers, according to a statement from The Guardian. Over two hundred ladies, able to leave the ongoing issue, have shared their experiences of this severe situation.
The ladies revealed that the majority of these assaults occurred in the “factories place” of Omdurman, where the city’s food source is most plentiful.
One victim, a 37-year-old person, recounted her suffering, saying,” Both of my kids are very old and sick and I not let my child go out to look for food. The only way to find food was from the men, who were all over the companies.
Immediately after Sudan’s destructive civil war between the normal troops and the military Rapid Support Forces, she felt compelled to have intercourse with soldiers at a meat-processing stock in May of that year. In a inventory containing fava beans, she was once again faced with the same problem in January.
Prior to the war, the lady, who appeared white and slender during interviews, had worked as a girl for affluent families in Omdurman. However, when the fight broke out, her family and her economic situation prevented her from fleeing the area.
The Sudanese issue is continuing to cause a damaging humanitarian crisis, with the UN reporting numerous casualties and common displacement. According to a new UN-backed report, more than half of the country’s populace is grappling with significant amounts of “acute food insecurity”.
There have been several reports of sexual violence committed by armed men, especially in the Khartoum and Darfur, since the violence first broke out on April 15, 2023. The Rapid Support Forces ( RSF), which currently control most of the major population centers in the northern region, have been accused of systematically carrying out physical abuse.
Some people claim that troops are offering physical favors to people who have been rescued from local markets in exchange for access to abandoned homes.
One woman described the pity and trauma she felt after being sexually assaulted by troops and being forced to resell property to live and care for her children. ” I am hardly a thief”, she said. ” What I went over is indescribable, I would never want it on an army … I just did it because I wanted to supply my kids”.
Help organizations have had trouble providing food assistance to people in Sudan who are in desperate need. The people interviewed by the Guardian claimed that they had not witnessed any foreign aid reaching their populations despite the World Food Programme reporting new deliveries in the Khartoum area.
One of the 21-year-old people who refused to continue having sex with them revealed that she had been tortured by men. In exchange for permission to treasure homes in west Omdurman, she had formerly consented to having sex with the troops.
But, upon her sons ‘ objection to stealing, she decided to stop. The girl, who showed the burn marks on her feet, claimed,” I was told by the men that I was whole of myself for refusing to go with them.”
Both men and Omdurman people confirmed reports of people being coerced into sexual functions. One man admitted to witnessing his fellow soldiers taking advantage of women, despite the fact that he claimed he had not personally participated in this behavior.
He shared a story about a woman who sexually assaulted warriors and allowed her sisters to steal homes in return. ” It’s awful”, the man said. The number of crimes in this area cannot ever be pardoned.
A woman reported seeing soldiers transporting women to left homes in a neighborhood in western Omdurman after they had fled the area. ” A lot of women come and queue outside our neighbourhood”, he said. The soldiers “let them activate” and then pick the houses they prefer to see. What may I do if I occasionally hear screaming? Nothing”, he added.
