Women in El-Obeid testify to rape during Sudan conflict

Displaced women living in a camp in El-Obeid, in North Kordofan, say they were raped by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) members in front of their children before fleeing.

“Two RSF members entered my house and raped me, then whipped me,” said Siham Omar, a 37-year-old woman. Following a days-long advance across North Kordofan, the army managed to push the RSF west, off the highway that connects the capital Khartoum with El-Obeid.

Sexual violence has been used as a weapon throughout Sudan’s three-year war, with testimonies describing rape committed in front of family members alongside brutal physical abuse.

The number of women and girls needing gender-based violence services nationwide has quadrupled since the conflict began, UN Women said, reaching an estimated 12.7 million in 2026.

Women-led organizations remain a lifeline in Sudan, reaching communities others cannot to deliver protection and support.

But funding cuts have forced two-thirds of them to close or scale back safe spaces and gender-based violence services. Half of those surveyed said they expect to suspend operations or shut down entirely within the year without urgent financial support.

Ms. Mutavati repeated UN Women’s call for an immediate ceasefire, inclusive peace talks and an end to the war.

Earlier this month, the UN Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan warned that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces appeared to be replicating tactics used in El Fasher by encircling El Obeid and attacking critical infrastructure – raising fears the city could face mass atrocities.