“God is our refuge.”
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on the 28th (local time) that women between the ages of 9 and 60 are in a state virtually equivalent to sexual slavery in Sudan, where civil war broke out. According to AFP, in an 88-page report titled “Khartoum is not safe for women,” Human Rights Watch said that Sudanese civil war forces inflicted widespread sexual violence on women aged 9 to 60.
The report contains 42 testimonies which include that of medical workers on sexual violence and forced and child marriage, which have been committed since civil war broke out between the Sudanese government military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April last year.
Human Rights Watch said 18 medical institutions in Khartoum including the satellite city of Omdurman reported 262 treatments of sexual violence victims between April last year and February, when the civil war began. However, this number is only a small portion of the actual victims and most of the victims were not even treated.
Most of the victims of sexual violence have not even received proper treatment and some of them were abandoned by their families. Human Rights Watch strongly condemned the Rapid Support Forces as a war crime and an act of crimes against humanity, saying they sexually assaulted and forcibly married numerous women and girls in residential areas in Khartoum.
Human Rights Watch said there were reports that government forces also participated in sexual violence, pointing out that reports of sexual violence by government forces that seized Omdurman earlier this year have increased.
Human Rights Watch then said civil war forces are attacking and sexually assaulting volunteers for emergency medical aid, which is also a war crime, and emphasised the need for emergency dispatch from the African Union (AU) and the United Nations to protect civilians.
The Sudanese civil war, which began last year with armed conflict between government forces and Rapid Support Forces, has killed tens of thousands of people so far, with some estimating that the death toll reaches 150,000. In addition, more than 17.7 million refugees have been reported, and more than 2 million have fled across the border. (Source: Yonhap News)
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Selah) (Psalms 46: 9,11)
God, may You be the refugee for Sudanese women suffering from sexual violence, coercion, and child marriage, regardless of their age, in a state like sexual slavery, where even medical volunteers are being threatened. May You break the ruse of Satan manipulating the government forces and rebels to clash with each other from physical lust and greed, causing tens of thousands of deaths and refugees, and committing sexual violence. Let the war stop speedily and the Sudanese souls trust in the Lord God and receive eternal life and restore to the people of the Lord who meet the Lord as their refuge.
Prayer 24·365
prayer@prayer24365.org
