2 yıl önce

Women decry sexual attacks in Sudan protests

Hundreds rally in several cities in response to more than a dozen rapes in the African country during recent mass protests against the army.

Reuters

Some of the protesters beat drums, while others chanted, "The military belongs in the barracks, and the streets are full of women."

Hundreds of women have marched in Omdurman and protests have hit other Sudanese cities in response to the alleged rape of 13 women during anti-military rule protests earlier in the week.

Women's groups organised Thursday's marches, supported by neighbourhood resistance committees and political parties, around the capital Khartoum, neighbouring Bahri and Omdurman, as well cities across the country including Kassala, Damazine, Kosti and Kadugli, according to images shared on social media.

"They use rape to scare us from pouring into the streets or for our families to prevent us from protesting, but we will not stop, we will not be afraid, and we will resist," said activist Walaa Abdelaziz, protesting in Omdurman.

Some of the protesters beat drums, while others chanted, "The military belongs in the barracks, and the streets are full of women."

The United Nations Human Rights Office received 13 allegations of rape and gang rape by security forces during the protests on Sunday.

That demonstration drew hundreds of thousands of people to the capital Khartoum to protest against a military coup on October 25.

They converged on the presidential palace, where they attempted a sit-in before being dispersed by security forces after sundown.

'Systematic assaults'

Suleima Ishaq, director of the Combating Violence Against Women Unit, a government agency, said the group gave medical aid to eight rape victims. She described the assaults as "systematic."

"The protests on December 19th were dispersed using unprecedented violence...It was a method involved in the dispersal of this protest to use sexual violence, so we don't believe that it was a coincidence or a one-off event."

In a statement, the United States, European Union, UK, and other Western countries condemned the alleged rapes and urged that "perpetrators are held accountable regardless of affiliation."

"This protest proves that we will not be broken no matter what," said activist Amira Gomaa.

"We consider those who carried out those acts against women wolves who need to be prosecuted, and there will come a day when they will be prosecuted and we know every single one of them."

Sudan's military and police have not commented.

SOURCE: Reuters