FILE PHOTO: The U.S. State Department Building is pictured in Washington, U.S., January 26, 2017.REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo

Sudan's sexual violence in West Darfur linked to RSF, US condemns

The U.S. on Friday condemned pervasive conflict-related sexual violence in Sudan, which the State Department said credible sources, including victims, have attributed to RSF and their allied militias.

(Reuters) - The United States on Friday condemned pervasive conflict-related sexual violence in Sudan, which the State Department said that credible sources including victims have attributed to Paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allied militias.

"The numerous reports of rape, gang rape and other forms of gender-based violence against women and girls in West Darfur and other areas are deeply disturbing. These acts of brutality contribute to an emerging pattern of targeted ethnic violence," the department said in a statement.

"In particular, we are gravely concerned about the situation in and around Nyala, South Darfur where tens of thousands of civilians are trapped as fighting escalates between the RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)," it added.

The United States called on the RSF and SAF to immediately halt the fighting and allow safe passage for all civilians out of the city, the department said.

(Reporting by Moaz Abd-Alaziz in Cairo; Editing by Will Dunham and Sandra Maler)