MSF staff abused Sudanese refugees in sex-for-food scandal

Some victims said they chose not to speak out because they feared staff would cut off access to aid. MSF staff abused Sudanese refugees in sex-for-food scandal Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Some victims said they chose not to speak out because they feared staff would cut off access to aid (stock photo) An unidentified woman wearing an abaya and hijab walks through a camp in Chad. Her face is not visible. Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) admits its staff were accused of sexually abusing at least 59 Sudanese refugees who had fled the civil war in search of safety. Young girls were exploited in some cases, and often food or jobs were offered in exchange for sex. The offences were committed in eastern Chad and date back to 2024 - about a year into Sudan's still-raging civil war. MSF says it has sacked 18 culprits but tells the AP news agency it was unable to identify some of the other alleged perpetrators. tells the AP news agency it was unable to identify some of the other alleged perpetrators The aid organisation also found patterns of exploitation that might amount to "sexual trafficking", its own internal report suggested in July. Some of the victims reportedly chose not to speak out about the abuse because they feared access to vital aid would be withheld in retaliation. Those who did report the abuse sometimes received no reply or support, MSF has admitted in its own report, while official complaints procedures were mostly ineffective. "This misconduct represents a serious breach of MSF's values and responsibilities, and we deeply regret the harm caused," MSF said in response to reporters at AP who first investigated the misconduct. Sudan plunged into civil war three years ago following a vicious power struggle between its army and a powerful paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Sudan plunged into civil war three years ago following a vicious power struggle between its army and a powerful paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). It is now widely recognised as the world's worst humanitarian crisis - more than 11 million people have been forced from their homes, and 28 million face acute hunger. Although there is no definitive death toll, the dead are thought to number at least 150,000 and could be as high as 400,000. Mass sexual violence has been widely documented as a weapon of war in this conflict - men, women and children have been targeted including babies as young as a year old. Mass sexual violence has been widely documented as a weapon of war in this conflict - men, women and children have been targeted including babies as young as a year old. Humanitarian workers in multiple countries around the world have been accused of sexual exploitation in recent years, despite promises to end such abuses. Displaced women rest, one seen with her head resting on her hand, in the town of Tawila after fleeing el-Fasher following the city's fall to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - October 2025. A simple guide to what is happening in Sudan A treated image of two soldiers and a close up shot of Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman al-Burhan The devastating conflict where both sides have reasons to keep fighting Three RSF fighters smile to the camera as they stand in front of destroyed cars at a site near el-Fasher. They are imposed over a satellite image of the scene with the BBC Verify logo. 'Our job is only killing' - how Sudan's brutal militia carried out a massacre A woman looking at her mobile phone and the graphic BBC News Africa Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Ibrahim helped define a genre of South African jazz music in a career that spanned eight decades. Molemo "Jub Jub" Maarohanye is accused of trapping a taxi driver in a car and firing a gun in the man's direction. Maj Gen Rabe Abubakar's death highlights continuing security challenges facing parts of the country. Rights groups accuse the RSF paramilitary group of killing civilians in el-Obeid, a city on the civil war's front line. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said fighting in DR Congo was hampering efforts to stop spread The United Arab Emirates has denied any involvement in the civil war and says it investigates alleged links. A fishermen's leader tells the BBC that 40 people are feared dead - either in the strikes or drowning as they tried to flee. Sudan's foreign minister says Ethiopia and UAE has chosen the "wrong path" and would regret it.