UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten has called for the immediate cessation of sexual violence by parties to the conflict in Sudan.
Patten made the call in a press release from New York, on Wednesday, following her visit to Chad between July 14 -18, to assess the situation in the Ouaddaï, where more than 620,000 refugees have sought protection, after fleeing the ongoing hostilities in Sudan.
“Following disturbing reports of a large number of cases of conflict-related sexual violence in the Eastern provinces of Chad, I visited the country to witness first-hand the scale of the crisis resulting from the influx of civilians from Sudan, comprised of around 90 per cent women and children. I commend the Chadian authorities for their generosity to this desperate population, as well as their steadfast leadership and political will in facing this unprecedented humanitarian crisis, as they continue to receive and host thousands of civilians fleeing the violence of war,” stated Patten in the press release.
It recounts her meeting in Adré and Farchana, with survivors of conflict who shared their harrowing accounts of rampant and brutal sexual violence. She said refugee women highlighted how sexual violence remained a prominent feature of the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
Patten is quoted hearing accounts of rape and other forms of sexual violence involving multiple perpetrators; the use of sexual violence against women and girls that was ethnically motivated; instances of rape in front of family members; trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation of women and girls; abductions of women to extort ransom payments from their family members; and the targeting of women activists and first-responders, including those providing assistance and support to survivors of sexual violence.
In some instances, survivors and witnesses identified armed men belonging to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its allied militias as the presumed perpetrators of the grave crimes.
The statement explained that the lack of security in the camps further exposed women and girls to various forms of gender-based violence. The UN, it noted, however, had put in place measures to mitigate these risks, including lighting in camps and fuel-efficient stoves, which required additional funding to be scaled-up.
The Chadian authorities, the international and national organizations too had responded to the crisis, the urgent needs of affected populations, including survivors of sexual violence, the statement added.
The numbers were, however, overwhelming with the humanitarian actors reporting that on average, more than 3,200 persons were seeking refuge in eastern Chad every week, since the onset of the conflict.
Patten called for additional support since the UN Humanitarian Response Plan had only received 21 per cent of the required funding.
“I call on the international donor community to redouble their contribution to the situation in Chad to support those in desperate need of shelter, security and assistance. We must respond with unwavering solidarity to conflict-affected populations, including survivors of sexual violence, and must urgently alleviate their suffering,’” Patten is quoted saying.