In Sudan, army uses rape to intimidate protesters

Published on : 12/24/2021 – 5:22 PM

“Rape won’t stop us.” Sudanese women showed their determination Thursday, December 23, in Khartoum, as several cases of sexual assault committed during the monster demonstrations of the previous Sunday were reported.

“We do not only want justice to be rendered to the Sudanese women raped in Khartoum” on Sunday, “but to all those who have been raped since Bashir’s coup d’état” in 1989, claims Nahla Issa, 23, interviewed by the ‘AFP.

According to the UN, at least 13 women and girls were victims of rape or gang rape. “Our joint human rights office in Sudan also received allegations of sexual harassment by security forces against women trying to flee the area around the presidential palace on the evening of December 19, 2021,” detailed a spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights during a press point.

According to information gathered by France 24, men were also raped during these events, during which two demonstrators died and around 300 others were injured.

Sudanese authorities have yet to comment on the accusations, but several Western countries have already called on Khartoum to “conduct an independent investigation”.

In a joint statement, the European Union, the United States, Canada, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom condemned the use of sexual violence “as a weapon to keep women away from protests and reduce them to violence. silence”.

In the first line

This is not the first time that the Sudanese army has been accused of this type of violence. In June 2019, dozens of sexual assaults were perpetrated during the dispersal of a pro-democracy sit-in in Khartoum.

Rape has been regularly used as a weapon in the conflict in Darfur, according to human rights organizations.

Leading figures of the revolution, Sudanese women played a central role in the fall of the autocrat Omar al-Bashir in 2019. Nicknamed the “Kandaka”, in reference to the Nubian queens of the kingdom of Kush, they did not hesitate to deal with security forces during violent protests.

>> To read: A woman dressed in white, symbol of the Sudanese revolt

Women have also largely taken part in the rallies organized in recent months to denounce the military coup and the return to power of Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, accused of “treason” by supporters of civil power. Dismissed on October 25 after the military-led putsch, Hamdok returned to the helm last month as part of a controversial political deal with the junta.

“If women are so numerous to demonstrate, it is because they all have something to defend”, explains to France 24, activist Waad Bahjet. “Some have suffered sexual violence, others do not have access to education, still others cannot find work. Every woman has her reasons.”

The hope of a revolution for women

A geological engineer, Waad Bahjet is known for her Facebook videos highlighting the discrimination suffered by Sudanese women. At the end of March, the activist received a six-month suspended prison sentence for filming soldiers at a gas station refusing to supply vehicles driven by women.

The episode is indicative of the blockages that persist in Sudanese society despite the fall of the Islamist dictatorship of Omar al-Bashir. Women remain underrepresented in politics and continue to suffer harassment and discrimination, as evidenced by the law on personal status which deprives divorced women of many rights.

>> To read: Sudanese women, chorus of demonstrations

“A divorced woman has yet to ask her ex-husband for permission to travel with her own children. We have been calling for the repeal of this law for years,” recalls Waad Bahjet.

According to the activist, nothing will stop Sudanese women in their fight for equality. “Sudanese women will win. They are educated, courageous and aware of their rights. The revolution continues and we will never give up.”