Activists say women wey dem rape for Sudan dey take dia own lives

Warning: Dis tori contain details wey fit turn your belle.

Several women don take dia lives for Sudan central Gezira state afta paramilitary fighters for brutal civil war wey dey shele for di kontri rape dem, rights groups and activists tok.

Di reports dey come afta di paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) chop accuse by di UN of "atrocious crimes", wey include mass killings, for di state last week.

As RSF fighters dey continue to advance, one rights group tell di BBC say dem dey in contact wit six women wey dey tink of taking dia own lives as dem dey fear say dem fit be victims of sexual assault.

But di RSF don dismiss one recent UN report wey blame a rise in sexual violence on dia combatants - dem tell BBC say di accusations "no be evidence based".

Di vicious struggle for power between di army and RSF don kill tens of thousands of pipo and force more dan 11 million pipo from dia homes since di conflict begin for April 2023.

Di head of di UN World Food Programme, Cindy McCain, bin visit di aid hub of Port Sudan dis week, and tell di BBC say di kontri fit see di world largest-eva humanitarian crisis if a ceasefire no happun.

She warn say millions of pipo fit die from starvation.

Reports of paramilitary fighters on di rampage for Gezira dey follow recent defection to di army of Abu Aqla Kayka, di RSF top commander for di state.

Hala al-Karib wey be di oga of di Strategic Initiative for Women for di Horn of Africa (Siha) tell di BBC say, "di RSF bin start revenge campaign for places wey dey under di control of Abu Kayka. Dem loot, kill civilians wey bin dey resist and rape women and small-small girls".

Siha, wey don dey document gender-based violence for Sudan during di war, bin confam three cases of suicide by women ova di last week for Gezira state, she tok.

Ms Karib say di two bin dey di village of Al Seriha and di third na for di town of Ruffa.

Di sister of one woman wey bin take her life for di village tell Siha say e happun afta RSF sojas bin rape am in front of her papa and brother. Dem later kill di two men.

Some videos dey uploaded online ova di last week wey appear to show dozens of bodis wrapped in blankets from one alleged RSF massacre for Al Seriha.

BBC Verify bin match di location of di video to di frontage of one mosque for Al Seriha.

Di evidence of suicides bin comot from only two areas out of di 50 or so villages wey don dey attacked. Ms Karib add say di figure fit dey higher as mobile communications no dey like dat.

One female activist for Gezira, wey no want make we mention her name as she dey fear for her life, tell BBC say she don confam di tori of id women wey take dia lives afta di RSF kill dia husbands.

She bin see WhatsApp messages from one woman wey describe how her sister bin take her life afta RSF militiamen rape am. Di RSF bin also kill five of her brothers and her uncles for Al Seriha.

But like Siha, she say e no go possible to verify di tori from social media of di reported mass suicides of women wey dey fear rape becos of communication wahala.

On Tuesday, one 80-page UN report say since di conflict begin, at least 400 survivors of conflict-related sexual violence don dey documented up to July 2024, wit di actual figure suspected to dey much higher.

Mohamed Chande Othman, di UN chair for di panel wey arrange di report say, "di sheer scale of sexual violence wey we don record from Sudan na ogbonge".

Victims wey dem document dey from di age of eight and 75 years. Many bin need medical treatment but most hospitals and clinics don dey destroyed by di fight-fight. Na wetin di UN tok.

RSF tok-tok pesin Nizar Sayed Ahmed, tell BBC say, "di accusation dey false and no dey based on evidence. “To find out di facts on di ground, di UN gatz send a fact-finding team to Sudan,” e tok.

Ms Karib tell di BBC say Siha dey try keep in touch wit di six women wey dey fear say RSF dey come and dey reason to take dia own lives.

She say Siha dey give dem psychological support as activists dey try arrange how dem go fit carry dem go more secure places.

She also say dem dey try to help one 13 year-old-girl wey RSF fighters bin gang-rape for Gezira and bin dey in urgent need for medical care.

Di girl bin dey currently on di road from her home village north of Ruffa to di town of New Halfa, and bin dey bleed well-well, she tok.

Additional reporting from BBC's Anne Soy and BBC Verify's Peter Mwai.