Khartoum — The Combating Violence against Women and Children Unit of the Sudanese Ministry of Social Affairs yesterday reported that rapes by paramilitaries are continuing in Khartoum and South Darfur, 'also inside homes'.

In a statement yesterday, the ministerial unit recorded five new rape cases in Khartoum, bringing the total of documented cases in the country's capital to 56.

The unit also received reports of "six new cases of sexual violence" in Nyala, South Darfur, on May 23, bringing the total cases in the state to 31.

In all cases, victims reported that the perpetrators were members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The unit expressed its "grave concern at the increasing incidences of sexual violence" occurring inside homes. "Sexual violence within the sanctity of home, where women and girls are relatively safe, aggravates the offence."

The RSF command should prosecute its members accused of such crimes, the unit stated, and called for "pressure on the parties to the conflict to stop the war and ensure the safety of civilians and the preservation of their dignity".

Earlier this month, Save the Children reported that girls aged between 12 and 17 years old are being sexually assaulted and raped in alarming numbers by members of both warring parties in Sudan.

While conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) is understood to be rampant, only 88 cases of rape as a result of the conflict have been verified. This includes at least 42 alleged cases in the capital, Khartoum, and 46 in the Darfur region, the organisation said.

According to the Combating Violence Against Women Unit, the documented rapes likely represent only two per cent of the total cases, "meaning there have been a possible 4,400 cases of sexual violence in 11 weeks alone".