UN Rights Chief shocked by survivors’ accounts during Sudan visit

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk is touring Sudan, meeting families displaced by the country’s ongoing conflict in his first official visit since November 2022.

The visit comes as fighting between rival military forces continues to devastate large areas of the country, particularly the western regions of Darfur and Kordofan, forcing millions from their homes.

Speaking during his tour, Türk said he was deeply shaken by the testimonies of survivors he met, especially women and girls who have endured sexual violence. He described meeting nine survivors who shared what he called “horrific stories,” saying he had rarely encountered individuals so deeply traumatized.

According to Türk, the women recounted being subjected to gang rape in the Darfur city of El-Fasher as they attempted to flee violence, while male relatives, including brothers and sons, were taken away and killed in front of them.

Since the conflict began, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented widespread sexual violence being used as a weapon of war.

Reported abuses include rape, gang rape, abduction, and sexual slavery, often perpetrated along ethnic lines or based on perceived affiliation with opposing forces.