25 commanders from rival forces linked to reported wartime rape in Sudan, investigation maps sites and periods

How investigators assembled the findings

The Centre for Information Resilience, a British open-source investigative organisation, examined five locations and periods of reported abuse. Its researchers checked identities, places and, when possible, recording dates, with two analysts independently verifying sightings of commanders.

They compared footage and other material with survivor testimony, accounts of incidents and signs of heightened danger, such as men and women being separated by force. CIR said there are reasonable grounds to consider the identified commanders directly or indirectly responsible, while stressing that evidence limitations prevent attributing particular assaults to individuals.

The report includes forces on both sides of Sudan’s three-year war and allied groups. Rank, presence and repeated appearances can inform investigations, but do not by themselves establish guilt or prove effective command control, knowledge, or failure to prevent crimes.

Evidence from Darfur sites

A video posted on TikTok on October 26, 2025, showed RSF major Khademallah Khashmin Herika, also known as Shiraz Khalid, addressing fighters. CIR described her words as an explicit call to rape women in Northern State, but could not establish where the recording was made. Other footage placed her in el-Fasher and Garni, where survivors described girls being held and raped.

CIR identified senior RSF deputy commander Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo at the former 6th Infantry Division base on October 26 and the Saudi Hospital on November 4. Investigators also matched a voice in drone footage to Dagalo, and tracked sector commander Gedo Hamdan Ahmed, known as Ibn Shouk, at Zamzam camp and later around el-Fasher. These appearances do not establish responsibility for particular assaults.

Commanders in Wad Madani

CIR’s account also follows Abuaqla Mohamed Ahmed Alwakil, known as Kaykal, who was appointed to lead an RSF division in Wad Madani in December 2023. Investigators verified him at a former army base on December 24, the day a women’s rights organisation documented the rape of seven women at the city’s Industrial School.

The next day, RSF captain Samar Ibrahim Tirab appeared near the school and called reports of rape and looting lies. Kaykal later defected to the army side. After forces recaptured Wad Madani in January 2025, CIR identified him in the city and nearby Wad al-Mehidi as commander of the Sudan Shield Forces.

Limits, responses and sanctions

Britain announced sanctions on 15 senior commanders on October 26 over suspected atrocities, including conflict-related sexual violence. The designations, which include asset freezes and travel bans, are separate from CIR’s list of 25 and are not criminal convictions. The UK also pledged £5 million for survivor support and £10 million in humanitarian aid.