In Sudan, war is being waged on women and children

"Mothers flee gunfire with infants in their arms. Girls are raped, boys are forced to fight and families go hungry, but the world looks away. Imagine walking for days and nights to escape gunfire. You carry your child in your arms, guiding them through the darkness to avoid drone attacks. You have no food, no water, and nowhere safe to go."

"This is the reality for families in Darfur and across Sudan, where civilians are being trapped, targeted, and terrorised as the country's brutal war enters its third year. In el-Fasher and other parts of Darfur, entire communities have been besieged. Those who try to flee are attacked; those who remain face starvation, violence, and disease. Behind these headlines are women and children who are suffering the most."

"Sexual violence is being used systematically to punish, to terrorise, and to destroy. Women and girls are abducted, forced to work for armed groups during the day, and then assaulted at night, often in front of others. Many survivors are children themselves. Some of the girls who have become pregnant through rape are so young and malnourished that they are unable to feed their babies."

"Perpetrators no longer attempt to hide their crimes. Violence has become so widespread that recording or documenting cases can cost you your life. In Tawila, North Darfur, only one clinic run by Doctors Without Borders can provide care for rape survivors. Boys are also being drawn into the conflict. Over the past 10 days, three trucks filled with children were reported heading towards Nyala, while in South Darfur, children are being armed and sent to fight."

Civilians across Darfur and Sudan are trapped, targeted, and terrorised as the war enters its third year. Entire communities in el-Fasher and elsewhere face siege, with those who flee attacked and those who remain suffering starvation, disease, and violence. Women and children bear the greatest burden: sexual violence is used systematically, with abductions, forced labour for armed groups, and rape, including of children who become pregnant and cannot feed their infants. Boys are being recruited and armed to fight. Aid workers, many Sudanese women, are kidnapped, attacked, or killed, while ethnic dimensions intensify violence and families disappear.

Read at www.aljazeera.com