RSF militia detain dozens of women in El-Fashir

Human Rights Observatory revealed on Saturday that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia is detaining dozens of women in at least two locations in El-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur State.

The RSF militia controls residential neighborhoods east and south of El-Fashir, using them as a base for launching attacks on the city and as detention centers.

The North Darfur Human Rights Observatory said, in a statement, that the militia was detaining dozens of women in the medical supplies headquarters located south-eastern El-Fashir and in the Jadid-al-Sail camp, far north-east of the city.

The Observatory noted that, after investigation, it was found that some of the detainees were forcibly married inside the detention centers, while others became pregnant as a result of these violations.

The Observatory explained that the true number of female detainees remains unknown due to the tightened security and the secrecy surrounding the matter, even from the closest of relatives.

The RSF militia has adopted sexual violence as a strategy to humiliate, terrorize, and control local communities.

The Observatory called for the immediate disclosure of the fate of the detainees and for their physical and psychological safety to be guaranteed. It also called on international and human rights organizations to take urgent action to address the situation, follow up on the detainees’ case, investigate the matter, hold those responsible for these crimes accountable, and release all detained women immediately and unconditionally.