HUMAN Rights Watch accused a paramilitary group in war-torn Sudan today of committing widespread sexual violence against women, including rape, gang rape and forced and child marriage.

The New York-based organisation called on the United Nations and the African Union to establish a joint mission to protect civilians as more than 15 months of fighting between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has shown no signs of abating.

“The Rapid Support Forces have raped, gang-raped and forced into marriage countless women and girls in residential areas in Sudan’s capital,” said deputy Africa director Laetitia Bader.