'Rape me, not my daughter' - women tell BBC of sexual violence in Sudan's civil war

Sudan is at breaking point.

After 17 months of a brutal civil war which has devastated the country, the army has launched a major offensive in the capital Khartoum, targeting areas in the hands of its bitter rival, the paramilitary Rapid Forces.

The RSF seized most of Khartoum at the start of the conflict, while the army controls the twin city of Omdurman, just across the River Nile.

The military attacked across two bridges which up until now have been closed and contested. Reports say it has secured a bridgehead on the eastern side for the first time since the conflict began.

But there are still places where people can, and do, cross between the two sides.

At one such point, I met a group of women who had walked for four hours to a market in army-controlled territory at the edge of Omdurman, where food is cheaper.

The women had come from an area in Sudan called Dar es Salaam, which is held by the RSF.

Their husbands were no longer leaving the house, they told me, because RSF fighters beat them, took any money they earned, or detained them and demanded payment for their release.

“We endure this hardship because we want to feed our children. We’re hungry, we need food,” said one.

Warning: Some of the details in the story may be upsetting.

And the women, I asked, were they safer than the men? What about rape?

The chorus of voices died down.

Then one erupted.

"Where is the world? Why don’t you help us":[]}