In brief
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has confirmed incidents of sexual abuse against 59 Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad, with staff reportedly exchanging food or employment opportunities for sex, including exploitation of young girls. The abuses, dated to 2024, prompted MSF to dismiss 18 staff members, although the agency admits some perpetrators remain unidentified. A whistle‑blower internal report indicates patterns of sexual trafficking, while many victims remain silent for fear of losing essential aid. This misconduct came amid the ongoing Sudan civil war, which has displaced over 11 million people, left 28 million in acute hunger, and caused tens of thousands of deaths, with mass sexual violence widely documented. The scandal raises serious questions about accountability and safety within humanitarian operations in conflict zones.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has admitted that its staff sexually abused at least 59 Sudanese refugees who fled the civil war. The victims, many of whom were young girls, were reportedly offered food or job prospects in exchange for sexual acts.
The incidents took place in eastern Chad and are dated to 2024, roughly a year into Sudan’s ongoing civil war. According to MSF’s internal investigation, 18 staff members were dismissed, but the organization can’t identify all alleged perpetrators. The report also points to a troubling pattern of sexual trafficking.
Many of the victims decided not to report the abuse because they feared that the aid organization would withhold vital food, medical supplies and other services. Those who did speak up sometimes received no response or support, and the official complaint procedures were largely ineffective.
“This misconduct represents a serious breach of MSF’s values and responsibilities, and we deeply regret the harm caused,” MSF said in a statement to journalists after AP’s investigation.
The scandal unfolds against the backdrop of Sudan’s brutal civil war, which began in 2021 following a violent power struggle between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict has made the country one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, displacing over 11 million people, leaving 28 million in acute hunger, and killing an estimated 150 000–400 000 people. Mass sexual violence has been widely documented as a weapon of war in this situation, with men, women and children—including babies as young as one year old—harvested as victims.
