'True hell' of mass rape in Darfur revealed in report on Sudan

'True hell' of mass rape in Darfur revealed in report on Sudan

Rape by Sudanese forces in Darfur revealed in Human Rights Watch report as agency says UN and African Union should take urgent steps to protect civilians


Women in Tabit in Sudan’s North Darfur state. Human Rights Watch says mass rape in the town could amount to crimes against humanity. Photograph: Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Reuters


November 20, 2014. The joint peacekeeping mission in the region known as UNAMID has been trying to gain access to visit Tabit since earlier this month to investigate media reports of an alleged mass rape of 200 women and girls there. Special Prosecutor for Crimes in Darfur Yasir Ahmed Mohamed and his team, accompanied by a military convoy of government forces, began initial investigations into the allegations on Wednesday.

Over 36 terrifying hours in October, 221 women and girls in Tabit town in North Darfur were raped by Sudanese army forces in their homes, in the streets and in front of their loved ones during a mass rape that could constitute crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday.

In a 48-page report, HRW revealed the stories of those who were attacked as scores of soldiers went from house to house, beating and whipping men, raping women and girls, and looting and destroying property.

“Immediately after they [the soldiers] entered the room, they said: ‘You killed our man. We are going to show you true hell,’” said one woman, who was attacked with her three daughters, two of whom were under the age of 11. “Then they started beating us. They raped my three daughters and me. Some of them were holding the girl down while another one was raping her. They did it one by one.”

HRW said the UN and African Union (AU) should take urgent steps to protect civilians in Tabit. Allegations of a mass rape began to emerge from the town just days after the attack, which began on 30 October, but verification had proven difficult.

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http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/feb/11/mass-rape-darfur-sudan-human-rights-watch