Investigating Allegations: Witness Testimony Sheds Light on Apparent RSF-led Campaign to Enslave Sudanese Men and Women
Witness testimony details horrifying accounts of alleged enslavement in Sudan: Mahdi, just 16, blindfolded as a man assessed his strength, searching for a strong boy to exploit as a farmhand Victims recount being subjected to brutal whippings, painting a grim picture of their harrowing ordeal
Blindfolded, 16-year-old Mahdi felt a stranger's hands examining his biceps, searching for a "strong" boy to employ as a farmhand. Based on the size of his muscles, the man determined Mahdi's value, purchasing him from a militiaman who had seized him in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur.
Mahdi recounted being physically assaulted and insulted as he was referred to as a slave by his captors and unidentified individuals. He further elaborated that he would crouch down only to be repeatedly struck in the neck.
This distressing account, along with numerous other testimonies, including those from women who claimed to have experienced sexual enslavement, was documented exclusively by CNN in a comprehensive film highlighting the devastating impact of the ongoing conflict between Sudan's ruling military and the formidable paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The upcoming episode of "The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper" unveils a disturbing RSF-led operation. This Sunday, viewers will witness the shocking campaign to enslave both men and women in El Geneina, the paramilitary group's stronghold in Sudan's Darfur region.
Sudanese women who escaped the turmoil in El Geneina, located in Darfur, Sudan, gather in Ourang, near Adre, Chad, on July 25, 2023, forming a line to collect rice rations distributed by volunteers from the Red Cross.
In the Chadian refugee camp of Adre, located near El Geneina, a team from CNN interviewed more than twelve witnesses who recounted the mass abduction of individuals. These witnesses reported that women were coerced into engaging in sexual acts in order to receive food and water, while both men and women were traded by their captors. These testimonies provide additional insight into the ongoing violence in the war-torn western region of Sudan spanning the past five months. For the safety of the witnesses and survivors, CNN has chosen not to disclose their real identities.
The RSF, believed to be supported by the Russian mercenary group Wagner as revealed by a CNN investigation, reached the height of their apparent atrocities when they took control of El Geneina in mid-June. Following this, a teacher named Khalid witnessed RSF fighters, dressed in their uniforms, bringing a group of more than twelve shackled women into the El Geneina Industrial School.
RSF vehicles are attacked in drone strikes which a Ukrainian military source said was 'likely' conducted by Ukraine's special services.
Obtained by CNN
According to a Ukrainian military source, it is highly probable that the strikes on Wagner-backed forces in Sudan were carried out by Ukraine's special services. Khalid, a witness who observed the incident from his concealed spot behind a stack of chopped wood in the school area, reported that the attackers ruthlessly whipped the victims with animal-like force, causing distressing screams among the girls.
He emerged from hiding only under the cover of night. During the daytime, he witnessed fighters compelling women at gunpoint into classrooms, followed by ominous sounds alluding to torture and rape.
According to Khalid, numerous women seemed to have been trafficked from Sudan's northern regions, where their clothing reflects prosperity, and their racial diversity is characterized by predominantly lighter skin tones.
Several Sudanese rights groups, such as the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) and the government's Combating Violence Against Women Unit, have informed CNN that they hold the view that the RSF has unlawfully seized a number of women from Khartoum, the capital, and transported them to the strongholds of paramilitary groups in Darfur.
Survivors of enslavement and assault in El Geneina spoke about repeated sexual and racial abuse at the hands of the Rapid Support Forces and their Arab allied militia fighters.
Alex Platt/CNN
Rights group activists have interviewed numerous local sources who claim that the RSF exploited the women sexually. CNN also spoke with four witnesses in Adre, including Khalid, who attested to witnessing evidence of the RSF trafficking women from northern Sudan. A former abductee from Darfur, whose identity CNN is withholding, reported seeing a 4x4 vehicle arrive in an Arab neighborhood in El Geneina. The vehicle transported four women in the back, who appeared to be from northern Sudan.
In Khartoum North, Sudan, on April 27, 2023, clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army resulted in a scene of damaged car and buildings at the central market. This photograph by REUTERS/ Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah captures the aftermath of the confrontation.
Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Reuters
Disturbing videos emerge showing atrocities against African ethnic groups in Darfur
She stated that she witnessed an RSF fighter approaching the driver and inquiring about the price he was willing to "trade" the women for.
She remembered hearing the driver proudly claim that he had carefully chosen the women himself and that he would not let them go even in exchange for a significant sum of money to the RSF fighter.
You are all considered slaves to us. The practice of trafficking women from regions with a majority Arab population in northern Sudan has gained significant attention. Numerous reports suggest that RSF fighters frequently demand ransoms for their release.
Captured women from non-Arab tribes in Darfur seem to have faced distinct treatment. Reports from numerous witnesses, survivors, and activists indicate that the sexual exploitation of these women often consists of shorter periods of captivity and is driven by racial motives. The RSF, predominantly an Arab fighting force, has been extensively implicated in large-scale sexual exploitation in Darfur, and is commonly identified as the responsible party.
CNNs request for comment about allegations of sexual enslavement has gone unanswered by the RSF. In the past, the paramilitary group has refuted accusations of engaging in ethnic cleansing and perpetrating sexual violence in Darfur.
According to a Human Rights Watch report published in August, the RSF raped "several dozen women and girls" in El Geneina between late April and late June.
Mahdi, 16, said he was sold as a farmhand after he was kidnapped along with his brother, who was later shot dead.
Alex Platt/CNN
According to the report, the attackers seemed to have specifically chosen individuals based on their Masalit ethnicity and sometimes because they were recognized activists.
CNN interviewed a number of former abductees from Darfur who shared their experiences of being confronted with racial insults by fighters from the RSF and their Arab militia partners while in captivity. Raghm, a 22-year-old woman, recounted being abducted from her home by an RSF member dressed in uniform and held captive in a brothel.
Raghm, belonging to the Masalit tribe, revealed that her captor was receiving payment in exchange for her enslavement in the brothel, amounting to 7,000 Sudanese pounds, which is equivalent to $10. According to her, the captor bluntly declared, "To us, all of you are slaves. To us, you are devoid of freedom."
Between beatings, she said she recalled him saying: "You are dirt. You are a disgrace."
In Arabic, the word for slave is a racial slur equivalent to the n-word.
They flogged us with whips
Another woman told CNN she and the female members of her family were raped in captivity for four days.
"I, along with my mother and sisters, endured four days of captivity where we were subjected to rape," recounted Hawa, a 20-year-old survivor. "Desperately seeking escape, on the fifth day, we finally managed to flee. As we ran through the streets, we encountered some members of the Arab militia who mercilessly lashed us with whips. They urged us to run for our lives, showering us with degrading insults, referring to us as donkeys and goats. The young ones among us were utterly fatigued, barely able to take a few steps before succumbing to exhaustion."
Rapid Support Forces leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo speaks during a press conference at the Rapid Support Forces headquarters in Khartoum, Sudan, on February 19, 2023.
Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Reuters
CNN also found evidence of the enslavement of males as part of the attack on El Geneina.
Mahdi, a 16-year-old boy, informed CNN that he and his brother were abducted by the RSF. He recounted overhearing conversations between his captors and other men, during which they discussed the terms for his "price" as a farm laborer. Throughout this ordeal, Mahdi was blindfolded and restrained with his hands and feet tied with rope. The captors even inspected his biceps, expressing a preference for strength, as Mahdi revealed to CNN.
He disclosed that he resided in the house that had been sold to him for a duration of 10 days before managing to flee and find refuge in Chad, where he believed he could be relatively safer. Sadly, he shared that his brother, who had been abducted alongside him, lost his life at the hands of the RSF.
This upcoming Sunday, CNN will broadcast a documentary, which is part of their ongoing series investigating the heinous acts perpetrated by the RSF in Sudan.
In the past few months, CNN has revealed the support of the Russian mercenary group Wagner for the RSF during the war. Additionally, evidence of arbitrary executions, extensive destruction of homes, and the forced displacement of Sudanese civilians has been uncovered.
Editors Note: We would like to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of Sudanese journalists, whose names we are withholding for their safety, in making this report possible.
