Dispute over alleged mass rape in Darfur

In Sudan, the controversy over the alleged mass rape in Darfur has sparked a public debate on such acts of violence and the consequences – after the topic was taboo for many years. „For the tens of thousands of victims of the internationally condemned war in western Sudan, this can only help,“ said Ulrich Delius, Africa-consultant of the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), in Göttingen on Thursday. „The victims are in urgent need of more medical, psychological, economic and social support. Regardless of whether this mass rape actually occurred, sexual violence against women and men in Darfur is widespread. If the victims must no longer fear to be excluded from the Sudanese society, more of these violent crimes might be reported – and more perpetrators could be brought to justice.“

On October 31 and November 1, 2014, following the disappearance of one of their comrades, soldiers of an army unit apparently raped more than 200 women and girls in the village of Tabit in North Darfur, which is located close to garrison, as an act of revenge. In the Sudanese capital, the alleged rape has caused a controversy that has been escalating for days. While Sudanese human rights activists and opposition parties demand independent investigations of the events, the government denies that any violent crimes were committed. On Saturday, the authorities prohibited a planned vigil by Sudanese NGOs and youth organizations of the opposition parties by deploying security forces to the intended location of the vigil.

UNAMID peacekeepers who tried to investigate the alleged mass rape in the village no longer have any trust in Sudan’s opposition parties and human rights groups. On November 10, 2014, UNAMID representatives stated that they had found no evidence of a violent crime in Tabit. First, the authorities had denied them access to the village for five days (from November 4 to 9, 2014). When they were finally able to talk to the civilian population, there were Sudanese soldiers present throughout the village. „The massive military presence was intimidating, so it is not surprising that the villagers were reluctant to report on what had happened,“ said Delius. „With unprofessional investigations like this, UNAMID is losing its credibility among the Darfuris.“ On October 29, 2014, UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon had expressed his deep concern about an internal UN report revealing that UNAMID-statements tend to downplay problematic occurrences.

#458651794 / gettyimages.com

A sudanese woman behind the fence of the refugee camp in Nyala in Dafur

Ulrich Deliusis available for further questions: +49 (0) 551 49906 27 or 65]G378o2<:C72.