Amid a dramatic escalation of violence, at least 124 civilians have been killed in central Al-Jazira state since October 20 and another 135,000 have fled to other states, said the United Nations Population Fund, which specializes in the health of women and children.

Of the people who fled, 3,200 are pregnant women, it added.

The conflict in Sudan pits the regular army, under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

The war has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people since it broke out in April 2023 and displaced more than 11 million more, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The UN population agency quoted the Al-Jazira health ministry as saying preliminary reports are that 27 women aged from six to 60 were raped or assaulted in Al-Jazira.

“These cases are a tiny fraction of the widespread sexual violence taking place,” the agency said in a statement.

The statement quoted a woman named Maria, a mother of two, as saying gunmen “persecuted us, beat us, pointed weapons at us, and inspected our daughters.”

It also cited an unnamed girl in a displaced persons camp as saying she had been given a terrifying choice.

“My male relatives, including brothers, uncles and fathers, gave us knives and told us to take our own lives if threatened with rape by armed fighters,” she was quoted as saying.

The statement said women reported seeing other women throw themselves into a river to avoid being abused by armed men.

“Survivors of sexual violence are running away and hiding because their families have threatened to end their lives to wash away dishonour,” the UN agency said.

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© Agence France-Presse