Top Investigator: "War is being fought on the bodies of women in Sudan"

Mona Rishmawi, an independent member of the International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan, has highlighted the escalating criminality that is compounding the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. Speaking during a briefing in Geneva, she described the dire situation, where rampant banditry and lawlessness are making it nearly impossible to deliver aid or ensure safety for civilians.

“When humanitarians move from one area of control to another… people have been killed. There’s bandits. There is criminality. The situation is very, very complex, which makes reaching the needed population extremely difficult,” Rishmawi said.

The ongoing conflict has led to widespread displacement and devastating violence, including the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. Rishmawi recounted harrowing testimonies from survivors, saying, “This is a shameful story, to be honest. When the war is being fought on the bodies of women, that’s really shameful.” She noted that thousands of cases of sexual violence have been reported by health providers, though stigma prevents many victims from coming forward.

Fear of violence has forced countless civilians to flee their homes. “Fear of rape leads people most of the time to leave their property and flee to another area they think is safe, whether inside Sudan or outside Sudan,” Rishmawi explained.

Access to humanitarian aid has been severely restricted, with government-imposed barriers like the temporary closure of the Adré crossing on the Chad-Sudan border. Rishmawi urged for the reopening of the crossing to ensure aid can reach displaced populations.

The conflict has also devastated food security. “Farmers are not able to farm their lands. They abandoned their land, and there are no seeds to be planted as the water supplies are disrupted,” she said.

Rishmawi expressed concern over worsening ethnic tensions, particularly in Darfur, where the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have mobilized Arab tribes to target specific ethnic groups. She stressed the urgent need for unity in Sudan, calling for a new framework to bring peace. “What is needed is a new social contract, a new national dialogue, a new social agreement where people can live together in harmony, respect, and dignity,” she concluded.