In the war-torn city of Omdurman, Sudan, women are facing a desperate situation.
With limited access to food and resources, many are being forced to make a devastating choice: exchange sex for sustenance.
Over two dozen women, trapped in the city due to ongoing fighting, have shared their harrowing stories of sexual exploitation.
They recount being coerced into sexual acts with Sudanese soldiers in order to obtain food or goods to sell, solely to support their families.
The majority of these assaults occur in the “factories area”, where food is scarce yet most readily available.
One survivor revealed her heart-wrenching decision to engage in sexual activities with soldiers to secure food for her elderly parents and 18-year-old daughter, highlighting the unbearable circumstances these women face.”
“Both of my parents are too old and sick and I never let my daughter go out to look for food,” she said. “I went to the soldiers and that was the only way to get food – they were everywhere in the factories area.”
A 37-year-old woman has shared her heart-wrenching story of survival and exploitation.
She was forced to have sex with soldiers at a meat-processing factory in May last year and again at a warehouse storing fava beans in January.
Before the conflict began, she worked as a maid in affluent parts of Omdurman, but poverty prevented her from fleeing the city with her family.
Reports of rape by armed men emerged days after the conflict started in Sudan, with numerous accounts of systematic sexual violence by RSF fighters in Khartoum and Darfur.
Women are being forced to exchange sex for access to abandoned houses to loot items to sell in local markets.
One woman spoke of her shame at being reduced to stealing property to survive after being sexually assaulted by soldiers.
“I am not a thief,” she said. “What I went through is indescribable, I would not wish it on an enemy … I only did it because I wanted to feed my children.”
As the humanitarian crisis in Sudan deepens, aid organizations are struggling to reach those in desperate need.
However, the women told Guardian that they had not seen any international aid coming into their neighbourhoods.
The Guardian spoke to three women who shared their harrowing stories of exploitation and torture at the hands of soldiers.
One woman, 21, was tortured by soldiers after she refused to continue having sex with them in exchange for looting houses.
Her brothers had opposed the looting, and when she stopped going to see the soldiers, they burned her legs. “I was told I was full of myself for refusing to go with them,” she said, showing the burn marks on her legs.
Corroborating these reports, a soldier and residents of Omdurman described a culture of exploitation and abuse.
One soldier admitted to witnessing his colleagues taking advantage of women, while a resident described seeing soldiers bringing women to abandoned houses.
These women’s stories are a testament to the devastating human cost of the conflict in Sudan, where survival often comes at a terrible price.
With limited access to food and resources, many are being forced to make a devastating choice: exchange sex for sustenance.
Over two dozen women, trapped in the city due to ongoing fighting, have shared their harrowing stories of sexual exploitation.
They recount being coerced into sexual acts with Sudanese soldiers in order to obtain food or goods to sell, solely to support their families.
The majority of these assaults occur in the “factories area”, where food is scarce yet most readily available.
One survivor revealed her heart-wrenching decision to engage in sexual activities with soldiers to secure food for her elderly parents and 18-year-old daughter, highlighting the unbearable circumstances these women face.”
“Both of my parents are too old and sick and I never let my daughter go out to look for food,” she said. “I went to the soldiers and that was the only way to get food – they were everywhere in the factories area.”
A 37-year-old woman has shared her heart-wrenching story of survival and exploitation.
She was forced to have sex with soldiers at a meat-processing factory in May last year and again at a warehouse storing fava beans in January.
Before the conflict began, she worked as a maid in affluent parts of Omdurman, but poverty prevented her from fleeing the city with her family.
Reports of rape by armed men emerged days after the conflict started in Sudan, with numerous accounts of systematic sexual violence by RSF fighters in Khartoum and Darfur.
Women are being forced to exchange sex for access to abandoned houses to loot items to sell in local markets.
One woman spoke of her shame at being reduced to stealing property to survive after being sexually assaulted by soldiers.
“I am not a thief,” she said. “What I went through is indescribable, I would not wish it on an enemy … I only did it because I wanted to feed my children.”
As the humanitarian crisis in Sudan deepens, aid organizations are struggling to reach those in desperate need.
However, the women told Guardian that they had not seen any international aid coming into their neighbourhoods.
The Guardian spoke to three women who shared their harrowing stories of exploitation and torture at the hands of soldiers.
One woman, 21, was tortured by soldiers after she refused to continue having sex with them in exchange for looting houses.
Her brothers had opposed the looting, and when she stopped going to see the soldiers, they burned her legs. “I was told I was full of myself for refusing to go with them,” she said, showing the burn marks on her legs.
Corroborating these reports, a soldier and residents of Omdurman described a culture of exploitation and abuse.
One soldier admitted to witnessing his colleagues taking advantage of women, while a resident described seeing soldiers bringing women to abandoned houses.
These women’s stories are a testament to the devastating human cost of the conflict in Sudan, where survival often comes at a terrible price.
Olekanma Favour is a resourceful, self-motivated, and result-driven writer with a passion for crafting compelling narratives and insightful content. She loves tackling complex topics and weaving engaging stories.
When she’s not writing, Olekanma enjoys immersing herself in a good book, exploring new cuisines, and discovering new cultures.