The humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) revealed that its local and foreign staff were accused of sexually abusing at least 59 Sudanese refugees who had fled to Chad to escape the ongoing civil war in their country that began in 2023. Victims included young girls, with reports that food or jobs were offered in exchange for sexual intercourse. The cases took place in eastern Chad and dated back to 2024.
MSF told the Associated Press news agency that while it sacked 18 culprits and barred them from future employments, it couldn’t identify some of the other perpetrators. It also found cases of exploitation that could be considered as organised “sexual trafficking” in its internal report, which was completed in July and obtained by the news outlet.
MSF also admitted that victims who reported the abuse did not receive any reply or support and that official complaints procedures were mostly ineffective. Some victims reportedly restrained from speaking out due to fear of retaliation in the form of denying aid.
“This misconduct represents a serious breach of MSF’s values and responsibilities, and we deeply regret the harm caused,” MSF responded to the Associated Press investigation.
While examining cases found in Chad in 2024, the news agency spoke to women, who said people meant to protect them, including humanitarians and local security forces, offered money in exchange for sexual favours.
The MSF report said that the cases found in Chad stood out because it had allocated extra resources to tackle abuse. It also said the number of actual cases were likely to be higher since many women were reluctant to speak out.
The armed conflict in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed over 150,000 civilians, displaced over 11 million people, and left over 28 million facing acute hunger. The United Nations has currently recognised the situation as the worst humanitarian crisis in ther world.
Reports over the years documented the use of mass sexual violence as a weapon of war in the conflict. Victims include men, women, and children as young as a year old.