Armed Men Rape Three Displaced Women Near Camp in South Darfur

A women’s affairs official at Otash Camp, north of Nyala city in South Darfur, on Sunday reported three cases of rape and one assault against displaced women by armed herders.

The official told Darfur24 that last November, three displaced women were raped and another was assaulted after a group of armed herders attacked them inside farms north of Nyala.

The survivors are aged between 17 and 25, while a woman in her fifties was beaten with sticks after she refused to allow the herders’ livestock into her farm.

The herders, who have a long history of impunity, typically enter farms at the beginning of the planting season and during harvest.

The official added that seven cases of sexual and physical violence against displaced women were documented in October while they were working outside the camp.

The scarcity of humanitarian aid for displaced people in the camps has forced many women to work in farms, gardens, and domestic jobs in Nyala city, despite being exposed to violence, with local authorities failing to provide protection.