54 children were subjected to sexual assault and rape during the flight to the Tawila area in North Darfur

Fifty-four children were subjected to sexual assault and rape during the flight to the Tawila area in North Darfur, according to Adiba Ibrahim El-Sayed, a specialist with the Preliminary Committee of the Sudan Doctors’ Union, who spoke to Sudan Tribune. Sudanese medical groups reported that dozens of children and women were assaulted as civilians fled El Fasher amid fighting, with survivors arriving at displacement camps in severe trauma and with signs of malnutrition.

El-Sayed said RSF fighters pursued civilians escaping El Fasher, engaging in what she described as “grave violations” including mass killings, sexual violence, and detentions for ransom. El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, recently fell to the paramilitary group, prompting a large exodus. The latest estimates indicate about 106,000 people have fled the city, though the fate of thousands more remains uncertain due to communication blackouts.

Survivors arriving in Tawila, about 60 kilometers west of El Fasher, are reporting acute distress. Many children are suffering from severe malnutrition, weakened immune systems, and psychological trauma linked to the violence experienced during their escape. Pregnant women, exhausted by the journey and the stress, are reporting anemia and miscarriages.

Separately, the Sudan Doctors Network said it documented the rape of 19 women by RSF personnel as they fled El Fasher toward the Northern State. Among the victims sheltering at the Al-Affad camp in Al-Dabbah are two women who became pregnant as a result of the assaults; they are receiving medical care under local supervision, the network said. The network condemned what it called a “mass rape” used as a weapon of war and warned that lack of international pressure is encouraging further atrocities against vulnerable populations.

Tawila now hosts more than 655,000 displaced people, most of them from El Fasher. While 21% live in organized camps, nearly three-quarters are in informal settlements or open areas with little protection.

Medical groups called on the United Nations to deploy independent investigators and to secure safe corridors for aid, urging urgent pressure on RSF leadership to halt attacks on fleeing civilians.