Women and girls in the Sudanese city of Al-Obeid are confronted with a horrific choice: the threat of drone strikes during the day and sexual violence at night while fetching water in the besieged city, according to a report from UN Women released on Friday.
Access to food and medical care in Al-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, remains severely limited. This month, the chief human rights official of the UN warned that a human rights catastrophe is unfolding there amid escalating fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The war, now in its fourth year, has led to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, accompanied by numerous reports of sexual violence and other abuses.
“These women and girls have been harassed. They have been raped, and they have been subjected to other forms of sexual violence while trying to fetch water — one of the basic human needs,” said Anna Mutavati, regional director of UN Women for Eastern and Southern Africa, during a video call from Nairobi to journalists in Geneva.
Critical water shortage
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, noted that civilians in Al-Obeid have endured siege-like conditions for 18 months, facing acute shortages of clean water and ongoing drone strikes. He warned of the potential recurrence of atrocities similar to those that occurred last year in Al-Fashir, in North Darfur.
According to UN Women, there is no safe time for women and girls in Al-Obeid to fetch water. Drone strikes on water sources during the day force many to seek water after dark, when they are vulnerable to harassment, rape, and other forms of sexual violence.
Source: The Straits Times
