As armed conflict continues to spread across Sudan and humanitarian conditions worsen in frontline areas, serious violations against civilians, particularly women and children—are increasing amid the absence of effective protection and restricted access to humanitarian aid.
In this context, the Sudan Doctors’ Network, an independent medical body, has accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of detaining 73 women and 29 girls in the city of Al-Mujlad, West Kordofan State, following their forced transfer from the city of Babanusa. The detention was reportedly based on allegations that their male relatives were affiliated with the Sudanese Armed Forces.
According to a statement from the network, the force responsible for the detention moved the women and children after seizing control of Babanusa and is holding them in “extremely poor conditions,” lacking even minimal standards of healthcare, nutrition, and psychological support, greatly increasing the risks to their wellbeing, especially amid outbreaks of disease and the collapse of basic medical services.
The detention of civilians, especially women and children, in the context of armed conflict constitutes a grave breach of international humanitarian law. The law requires all parties to a conflict to distinguish between combatants and non-combatants and explicitly prohibits arbitrary detention, forced displacement, and the use of civilians as leverage or bargaining tools. It also mandates special protection for vulnerable groups and humane treatment at all times.
This arbitrary detention exposes the women and children to severe health risks, and the leadership of the Rapid Support Forces bears full responsibility for their physical and psychological safety.
Since the outbreak of war between the Sudanese army and the RSF in April 2023, triggered by disputes over the transitional phase, Sudan has been plunged into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with tens of thousands killed and nearly 13 million displaced.
The war has seen the systematic collapse of civilian protection and a sharp escalation in violations affecting non-combatants in conflict areas.
