Three women who say they were abducted, held as sex slaves, and forced to pay ransoms for their release have spoken to reporters about their harrowing experiences in Sudan's ongoing civil war. The women, introduced by aid workers, blamed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for the assaults. The United Nations has called sexual violence one of the "most defining features" of the conflict, now in its fourth year.
Survivor's Ordeal
A 38-year-old woman recounted being ambushed by RSF fighters while fleeing El-Fasher in Darfur in September. After her husband, a soldier, was killed and her brother wounded, she was captured, bound, beaten, and thrown into a truck with four other women. For two days, she was repeatedly raped and held naked in a shelter. The captors demanded $1,500 for her freedom, forcing her to empty her bank account and call relatives while being tortured. After her cousin paid about $700, she was released. She now lives in a displaced persons camp, struggling with health issues and debt.
Another woman, 30, was abducted from a Khartoum market in 2024. She was held for two weeks, forced to cook, clean, and bathe fighters, and raped nightly. After a relative paid $1,250, a smuggler helped her escape. A third woman was abducted near Dilling in South Kordofan, held for nine days, raped once, and beaten before her family secured her release.
Rise in Ransom Cases
According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, ransom incidents involving sexual assault have surged nearly 195 percent since the war began, with RSF fighters responsible for most cases. Experts warn ransoms may increase as the RSF fragments. The UN reports that sexual assaults have soared, with many women subjected to sexual slavery and forced to pay up to $10,000 for release. South Kordofan has become a new hotspot.
Psychologists say ransoms plunge families into debt, forcing them to sell assets. Aid groups lack funding to support survivors, especially after the Trump administration cut over $370 million in grants to the UN Population Fund, which provides critical services for sexual violence victims in Sudan and other countries.
The 38-year-old survivor now mentors women and girls in her camp but struggles with medical needs and debts to those who helped her, some of whom have since died. "Even those who died, I want to return it to their children," she said. "So I can feel at peace."
