The global medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has publicly acknowledged that its personnel have been accused of committing sexual abuse against at least 59 Sudanese refugees who sought safety across the border after fleeing Sudan’s ongoing civil war. The disturbing allegations detail patterns of exploitation that targeted vulnerable displaced people, including underage girls, with perpetrators often coercing survivors by offering life-saving food or informal employment in exchange for sexual favors.
All of the reported offenses took place in refugee-hosting regions of eastern Chad, with incidents traced back to 2024, roughly one year after Sudan’s full-scale civil conflict erupted and triggered a mass exodus of civilians seeking refuge outside the country’s borders. According to MSF’s official statement to the Associated Press, the organization has already terminated the employment of 18 staff members linked to the abuse allegations, but investigators have not been able to identify and hold accountable other named suspects in the case.
Findings from an internal MSF investigation published in July also noted that the documented patterns of exploitation may meet the legal definition of sexual trafficking. MSF further confirmed that many survivors chose to remain silent about their abuse out of fear that retaliation would result in them being cut off from critical humanitarian aid, which is already a scarce and life-sustaining resource for displaced populations. For survivors who did come forward to file official reports, many received no meaningful response or support services, and the organization’s existing formal complaint mechanisms were found to be largely ineffective at addressing allegations.
In an official response to AP’s investigative reporting on the scandal, MSF acknowledged the gravity of the abuses. “This misconduct represents a serious breach of MSF’s values and responsibilities, and we deeply regret the harm caused,” the organization said.
To contextualize the scale of vulnerability facing Sudanese refugees, Sudan entered full-scale civil war in 2023 after a brutal power struggle collapsed the fragile partnership between the country’s regular military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful paramilitary group. Today, the crisis is widely classified as the world’s most severe humanitarian catastrophe: more than 11 million Sudanese have been displaced from their homes, with over a million fleeing to neighboring countries including Chad, and 28 million people across Sudan face acute food insecurity. While no definitive full death toll has been compiled, estimates place the number of conflict-related deaths between 150,000 and as high as 400,000.
Sexual violence has been extensively documented as a deliberate weapon of war throughout the Sudanese conflict, with combatants targeting men, women, and children of all ages — including infants as young as 12 months old. This recent abuse scandal within MSF also fits into a broader, long-running pattern of sexual exploitation allegations against humanitarian personnel working across the globe, even after repeated public pledges from aid organizations to root out such abuse and protect vulnerable populations.