‘Peak of the iceberg’: The women at the centre of a warzone’s dark crisis

This article contains references to rape and sexual assault.

Sexual abuse is being used as a weapon of war in Sudan, with women and girls fleeing the conflict describing rape and torture as they try to reach safety.

A new report from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) — known in English as Doctors Without Borders — has found sexual violence against women and girls is widespread in Darfur.

The humanitarian organisation said 3,396 victims and survivors of sexual violence were treated in its supported facilities in North and South Darfur between January 2024 and November 2025.

It warned that the cases reaching its clinics were only a fraction of the real figure.

Myriam Laroussi, MSF emergency coordinator, said the violence was not incidental and women’s bodies were being used as part of the war.

“We are now calling [on] all the warring parties to just stop. Stop using women’s bodies to fight this war,” she said.

Survivors in Darfur have described gang rape, rape at gunpoint and severe physical violence, often while trying to flee attacks or reach safety.

MSF reports women and girls made up 97 per cent of those treated in documented cases.

‘Crime against humanity’

MSF’s warning has been echoed by the United Nations human rights chief, Volker Turk.

 “I met nine women and girls, all of them survivors of sexual violence, and they told me horrific stories. I’ve never seen so traumatised individuals,” he said.

“What they told me was about a gang rape in Al-Fasher. When they tried to flee, they told me about the men being taken out and killed in front of them.”

The trauma that they have gone through is unspeakable.

“Sexual violence is used as a weapon of warfare. It’s a war crime, and it’s a crime against humanity,” Turk said.

The violence is not confined to sexual assaults.

The UN human rights office said drone warfare has intensified sharply this year, and that more than 500 civilians were killed in drone strikes between January and March.

Laroussi said attacks were near daily, and civilians were being hit in places that should be safe.

“We are talking about school, we are talking about health structure, we are talking about markets,” he said.

The humanitarian toll is immense.

Up to 14 million Sudanese have been displaced since the war began in April 2023, Laroussi said, with many forced to flee their homes more than once.

Many survivors have had to travel for days to reach care in Tawila, in North Darfur, with many arriving after fleeing El Fasher and other conflict zones.

‘Peak of the iceberg’

MSF midwife Gloria Endreo said many women only begin speaking once they were somewhere safe enough to do so.

“I happened to encounter so many cases of survivors coming to confide in me for what has happened to them during the time they flee from El Fasher to Uganda,” she said.

She said many women told her they had seen killings and brutality on the road to safety.

“A lot of them witnessed brutality, physical torture, psychological torture, gang rapes and raped under gunpoint,” she said.

“This takes a strong energy for one to stand up and say ‘ABCD has happened to me’, considering the community that they live in, it is a very conservative community, where talking about sexuality is considered as a taboo.”

MSF said many survivors arrive after the first 72 hours, which health workers consider the critical window for emergency care after rape, including treatment for injuries, prevention of infection and urgent medical support.

Sudan’s conflict began on 15 April 2023, when a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted into fighting.

Since then, the war has spread far beyond Khartoum, devastating Darfur and other regions, and exposing civilians to ethnic violence, hunger, displacement and repeated attacks on homes, hospitals and markets.

MSF said the cases it has documented are only the visible portion of a much larger crisis.

“The data that we have are very focused on North Darfur and South Darfur. Now, the reality we know, is far bigger than that,” Laroussi said.

“[It is the] peak of the iceberg.”

International investigators are also examining what is happening in Darfur.

The International Criminal Court told the UN Security Council in January that it was undeniable that sexual violence was being committed.

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732, or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.

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