Nyala, May 24 (Darfur24)
Hundreds of children have reportedly been recruited from displacement camps and towns in South Darfur by the Justice and Equality Movement led by Suleiman Sandal, amid preparations to deploy fighters alongside the Rapid Support Forces, according to multiple local and civil society sources.
The allegations surfaced after the movement held a military graduation ceremony in Nyala last week for more than 300 fighters in the presence of its leader, Suleiman Sandal, who currently serves as interior minister in the Sudanese Constituent Alliance aligned with the RSF.
Sources told Darfur24 that recruitment campaigns targeted young people from Atash, Al-Sereif, Sakli, and Al-Salam camps for displaced people, as well as communities in Bulbul and Balil around Nyala.
Civil society activists and eyewitnesses said many of the recruits were under the age of 18 and were offered payments ranging between 500,000 and one million Sudanese pounds to join the training camps.
Parents of several recruits said the youths had initially been told they would participate in forces tasked with protecting civilians inside the camps, only to learn later they could be deployed to combat zones.
Darfur24 reported that video footage from the graduation ceremony appeared to show dozens of children among the ranks of graduates.
Additional sources alleged that Ahmed Jarma, the movement’s leader in South Darfur, oversaw recruitment efforts in parts of Bulbul and Balil, including the mobilization of minors.
The movement had not issued an official response to the allegations at the time of publication.