UNSC Discusses Conflict-related Sexual Violence, Thursday, RSF Crimes Taking Center Stage

New York – Sudanhorizon
The UN Security Council (UNSC) will hold an open debate tomorrow, Thursday, on “conflict-related sexual violence.” The Council’s website indicated that the speakers will likely address the practices of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia and their use of sexual violence and related crimes against civilians in the ongoing war in Sudan.
The website reported that, according to the distributed introductory note, the speakers will condemn this practice and demand further action and that perpetrators be held accountable.
Panama, which holds the Council’s presidency for the month of August, has chosen the theme for this year’s debate: “Identifying innovative strategies to ensure survivors of sexual violence in conflict areas have access to life-saving services and protection.”
Pramila Patten, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, and a civil society representative are expected to deliver their briefings, as is the Council’s practice when discussing such issues. According to the Security Council website, at tomorrow’s meeting, Patten will focus on the Secretary-General’s latest annual report on conflict-related sexual violence, published on August 14 and covering the period from January to December 2024. The report documents cases of conflict-related sexual violence against more than 4,600 survivors, the vast majority (92%) of which affected women. The report covers 14 conflict situations (Sudan, Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Israel and the State of Palestine, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen); four post-conflict situations (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq, Nepal, and Sri Lanka); and three situations of concern (Ethiopia, Haiti, and Nigeria). The Security Council website indicated that Patten is likely to note that in a growing number of contexts, non-state armed groups have used sexual violence as a tactic to control territory and natural resources, and that women and girls perceived to be associated with rival forces have been targeted. It may also highlight concerns about widespread patterns of conflict-related sexual violence affecting displaced, refugee, and migrant women in some contexts, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia and Sudan.
Many participants are also likely to express grave concern about attacks on health-care infrastructure, which have undermined essential services, and urge parties to the conflict to ensure unhindered humanitarian access and the safety of humanitarian workers. Many participants are expected to express concern about developments in specific country situations, such as Sudan, where the UN documented 131 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 2024, 82 of which occurred in 2023. The report states that members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias are “implicated in most cases.” The report echoes the findings of the Panel of Experts assisting the Security Council’s 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee, which reported that non-Arab women, particularly from the Masalit community, have been targeted on the basis of their ethnic identity by members of the Rapid Support Forces and allied militias.

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