A Centre for Information Resilience investigation identified 25 commanders across five Sudanese conflict hotspots where sexual violence had been reported, but said evidence does not assign individual responsibility for specific incidents.
The investigation covered North Khartoum (Bahri) from May through July 2023, Wad Madani in December 2023, Gezira state in January 2025, Zamzam in April and May 2025, and El Fasher in October and November 2025. CIR said the 25 names span seven or more armed and security organizations, including the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allied groups.
CIR traced Abuaqla Mohamed Ahmed Alwakil, known as Kaykal, across two locations and affiliations. It said he appeared in Wad Madani as an RSF commander in December 2023, then in Gezira in January 2025 as commander of the SAF-aligned Sudan Shield Forces. The report also placed Gedo Hamdan Ahmed, known as Ibn Shouk, in both Zamzam and El Fasher, where CIR identified him as a senior RSF commander.
The center said its assessment considered commanders’ roles and proximity to reported incidents, along with indicators of risk, incitement and verified appearances. Separate reviewers checked footage and its locations, assigning filming dates only when the evidence allowed. CIR said it also drew on reporting and information from Sudanese partner organizations, but could not attribute individual responsibility for particular incidents to named commanders.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recorded verified incidents involving 114 victims in and around Zamzam camp and along exit routes between mid-April and mid-May 2025. The total included 84 women, 27 girls and three boys.
OHCHR's separate El Fasher report documented rape and other sexual violence during the RSF takeover, drawing on testimony gathered in late 2025 from more than 140 victims and witnesses in Sudan's Northern state and eastern Chad. The war between the RSF and SAF began on April 15, 2023, according to OHCHR.
The U.K. government announced on Oct. 26 that it had sanctioned 15 senior RSF and SAF commanders over suspected atrocities, including conflict-related sexual violence. It also announced £5 million for survivor support and £10 million for humanitarian assistance. The measures follow earlier EconoTimes coverage of verified conflict-related sexual violence cases.
