Silent Weapon: Addressing Sexual Violence as a Tactic of War
In the depths of war-torn regions, a silent weapon is destroying the bodies and the lives of the most vulnerable: sexual violence. Beyond individual acts of brutality, sexual violence in conflict zones emerges as a calculated strategy, conducted by both state and non-state actors to terrorise, control, and devastate populations. Despite the implementation of international frameworks condemning these atrocities, the scale and impunity surrounding conflict-related sexual violence reveal a profound gap in global accountability and survivor support systems. According to the United Nations, the term “conflict-related sexual violence” refers to rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced abortion, enforced sterilization, forced marriage, and “any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity perpetrated against women, men, girls or boys that is directly or indirectly linked to a conflict.” Sexual violence continues to be used as a tactic of war, torture, and terrorism, deepening conflicts. The use of sexual violence in conflict zones serves multiple strategic functions, underscoring its role as more than a byproduct of war. Ultimately, perpetrators use this form of violence to dismantle communities and implement fear to drive individuals from their homes. This brutality often reflects broader gendered power dynamics, where the bodies of women and girls have become battlefields for asserting dominance. Despite international condemnations, pervasive impunity enables its recurrence, highlighting how sexual violence functions as a tool to sustain cycles of instability.
To help understand how sexual violence is used in warfare, three countries will be looked at: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, and Somalia.
Democratic Republic of the Congo:
The humanitarian crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo worsened in 2023, driven by escalating armed conflict, military operations, and repeated ceasefire breaches between the Mouvement du 23 Mars and the DRC Armed Forces. This heightened instability has exacerbated the risks of sexual violence which remains a tactic used by state and non-state actions. In 2024 alone, MONUSCO documented 733 cases of rape, gang rape, sexual slavery, and forced marriage, affecting 509 women, 205 girls, 18 men and one boy. Non-state armed groups were responsible for the majority of the cases (556) while state actors, including the Armed Forces, accounted for the remaining 177 incidents, particularly during military operations in Ituri and North Kivu. In South Kivu, the Ngumino armed group’s attacks included mass rapes and some cases of mutilation and the killing of victims. Meanwhile, other attacks were often carried out during raids on various villages across the country.
The humanitarian crisis in the DRC underscores how sexual violence in conflict zones works as both a tactic of war and a tool of terror. The cases of sexual violence reveal the intentional use of it to destabilize communities, drive displacement, and reinforce control. The involvement of both non-state and state actors highlights the structural impunity that sustains such atrocities. Survivors continue to bear the weight of severe psychological trauma, social stigmatization, and economic marginalization, further reinforcing the cycle of poverty and displacement across the country.
Mali:
In Mali, the pattern of sexual violence continued in 2023 amidst attacks by Al-Qaeda and Islamic State affiliated groups, particularly in the northern region of the country. Several humanitarian organizations registered 158 cases of conflict-related sexual violence including rape, forced marriages, and sexual slavery, all perpetrated by various armed groups. In April of 2023, a report from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights outlined that 500 civilians were killed and 58 women and girls were raped by Malian armed forces during a military operation in Moura.
The crisis in Mali exemplifies how sexual violence is wielded as a calculated method of control and intimidation by extremist groups and state forces, highlighting a pattern where civilians– especially women and girls– become targets of brutal acts of violence. The allegations against state forces complicate the narrative, exposing that such violence extends beyond extremist factions and is often deeply embedded in power dynamics that justify brutality under the facade of counter-terrorism.
Somalia:
In Somalia, the worsening humanitarian conditions due to climate-induced crises, including flooding and drought, have propelled displacement and heighted the risks of sexual violence. In 2023, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) verified several cases of conflict-related sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, mainly targeting displaced women and girls. Perpetrators, often unidentified armed groups, Al-Shabaab, clan militias, and community defense forces, take advantage of isolated, unprotected areas such as farming fields outside of villages where they can carry out these attacks of violence. The intersection of climate displacement and sexual violence ultimately reveals a dangerous cycle where environmental instability exacerbates existing vulnerabilities. As climate shocks continue to drive migration, women and girls are often left exposed, with their isolation making them easy targets.
The strategic use of sexual violence in conflict zones underscores a deep rooted challenge to global security and humanitarian standards, exposing the gaps in international accountability, support systems for survivors, and prevention frameworks. The tragiccases from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, and Somalia highlight a harshreality: sexual violence is not an incidental byproduct of war, but rather a calculated weapon wielded to destabilize communities and entrench cycles of fear and displacement. This form of violence not only attacks individuals but also the social and cultural fabrics of entire communities, leaving scars that shape the post-conflict landscape in all of these countries. Ultimately, the weaponization of sexual violence in war zones lays bare the pervasive inequities and vulnerabilities exploited by perpetrators, while showing the unsettling fragility of global peace when confronted by such atrocities.
Image courtesy of ANSA via Vatican News, ©2024. Some rights reserved.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the wider St. Andrews Foreign Affairs Review team.
