SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: CNN - They tried to use rape to silence women protesters. It didn't work.

17/5/19: CNN – They tried to use rape to silence women protesters. It didn’t work

By Nima Elbagir, Sheena McKenzie, Abdulgader Bashir, Salah Nasir and Salma Abdalaziz

 CNN report on a Sudanese military campaign of sexual abuse, harassment and intimidation targeting the women at the heart of Sudanese protests.

 In the early months of the uprising, women were taken to secret detention sites where they were photographed naked, threatened with sexual violence, or having their reputations tarnished. These assaults “set-off a ripple-effect of abuse” – leading to women being divorced out of shame, or fathers beating their daughters to stop them attending protests.

 As Omar Al Bashir’s power slipped, women were “beaten senseless” in public, and raped. Nahed Jabrallah, the founder of SEEMA, a charity tackling violence against women, said at least 15 women were raped, although the number is likely to be higher given the stigma attached to sexual abuse in Sudan.

 Several army officers told CNN that these abuses were shameful, and led them to stop defending Al Bashir’s regime.