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July 25, 2004 

Sudan: Darfur

Rape as a weapon of war

Girls as young as eight are among the victims of mass rape in Darfur, western Sudan, said Amnesty International on 19 July 2004, as it published a new report on the impact on women and girls of 'Janjawid' militia raids in Darfur.

In some cases women are having their arms or legs broken in rape attacks and mass abductions are also taking place, with women as old as 80 taken hostage and used as sex slaves.

The report comes after a recent letter from the human rights organisation to Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, calling on the UK government to take action on Sudan. Amnesty International is calling for a strong UN Security Council resolution to address the situation.

Interviewing hundreds of refugees in camps in neighbouring Chad in May of this year, Amnesty International has compiled over 100 testimonies, collected the names of 250 raped women and has information on at least another 250 further rape cases.

While only a small proportion of the overall picture, these testimonies show that women and girls are being systematically raped, abducted and forced into sexual slavery by the Janjawid. In almost all the attacks the government's army were either directly involved or direct witnesses.

The wave of rapes, including of pregnant women and sometimes involving extreme violence, constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity and Amnesty International is calling for emergency action from the international community.

Sources: Amnesty International, 19 July 2004.