For as long as she can remember, Halima* has always lived in various camps for displaced people. And every time she thought she had finally found a safe place, she had to move again - because of yet another attack. And so again and again. She says dark memories of it keep her awake at night.
One of those horrific memories is from June 2023, when fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF) attacked the area of El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, where she lived with her family at the time.
Halima heard the fighters arriving on their motorbikes: "They found me in my room, four of them threatened me with weapons. One of them grabbed me by the throat and raped me," she told DV.
Despite her injuries, Halima managed to escape, crossing the border into Chad. Today, she feels safe there, but cannot get the medical care she so desperately needs after the rape.
Kidnapping, harassment, murder, sexual violence
The majority of people who fled across the border from the conflict in Sudan are now in camps in eastern Chad. Halima is one of them. She believes that SBP fighters raped her because she belongs to the Masalite ethnic group, which is the majority in El Geneina.
Hadiya* - another young woman in the camp - confirms what Halima said. She remembers the attacker asking her about the tribe she belonged to. She lied about being from the fur tribe. He had threatened to kill every single Masalite, then added that Masalites would never be able to own land in Sudan in the future.
Hava* survived a similar attack in June 2023. A SBP fighter broke into her home and shot her 20-year-old cousin. He beat her mother and her aunt. "He also beat me with a whip, with a stick, forced me with a water tube. After that, he threw me on the bed and raped me," she told DV.
A few days later, she was finally able to find a hospital where her wounds from the brutal attack could be stitched up. He still has pain when he walks.
Human Rights Watch has documented numerous atrocities of this nature and warns that genocide is being committed against the Masalite people in West Darfur. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces did not respond to DV's inquiries.
The biggest human displacement crisis
A UN refugee agency report from late 2023 says women and girls in Sudan are suffering the most from the effects of the conflict there. The agency has registered an alarming increase in levels of sexual violence. Many asylum seekers elsewhere confirm that they have experienced or witnessed harassment, kidnapping, rape, sexual assault and sexual exploitation, as well as other forms of violence.
For more than a year now, the Sudanese armed forces have been fighting SBP fighters for control of the country. So far, the conflict has forced millions of people from their homes. As of June 2024, the total number of displaced people has reached 12 million people.
According to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), since the beginning of the conflict, more than two million people have sought refuge in neighboring countries. But the vast majority of them - more than 10 million people - remain in Sudan, representing the world's largest displacement crisis.
More and more rapes
CARE International Sudan Director Abdirahman Ali confirms that cases of gender-based violence are increasing in Sudan. This violence against women and girls is particularly pronounced in the refugee camps, where the situation is further complicated by the lack of sufficient food, drinking water and health care.
Even before the conflict began, Sudan was in a severe humanitarian crisis due to the country's long-term political instability and economic problems. The war only deepened this crisis, making almost 25 million people - more than half of Sudan's population - dependent on aid. Meanwhile, more than 600,000 people have crossed the border into Chad, which had already taken in 400,000 Sudanese refugees before the conflict broke out.
Abdirahman Ali urges the parties involved in the conflict to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect the civilian population and infrastructure. To improve the human rights situation, guarantees must also be provided to humanitarian aid workers.
"It is necessary for the parties to the conflict to sit down at the negotiating table and ensure that this crisis is ended. It causes indescribable human suffering to the people of Sudan," he told DV.
Despite the trauma, Hawa and Halima hope to return to their former lives. Hava dreams of completing her economics studies and working as a business administrator.
Halima also wants to get her old life back: "If the situation improves, I want to study at university. I'm a midwife, but I want to become a doctor," she says.
*names changed by editor