Agencies: Darfur24
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, said that the situation in Sudan is catastrophic and the lives of children there are at stake.
Gamba’s statements came in conjunction with the publication of the report of the UN Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Sudan.
The UN official urged, in a statement, the parties to the conflict to protect civilians and civilian objects, with full commitment to international humanitarian law and to engage with the United Nations to adopt and implement concrete measures to protect children, including through action plans.
The report stated that 2,168 grave violations against 1,913 children were verified between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2023, adding that this represents a shocking increase compared to the previous reporting period.
Killing and maiming (1,525 cases) was the highest verified violation, followed by recruitment and use (277) and rape and other forms of sexual violence against children (153).
A significant increase in grave violations was observed following the outbreak of hostilities between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces on 15 April 2023.
In addition, inter-tribal violence continued to cause violence against children, often due to conflicts between herders and farmers, mostly in Darfur and Blue Nile states, the report said.
Humanitarian consequences
“I am appalled by the level of violence affecting children, the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure, including schools and medical facilities, and the lack of effective efforts by parties to the conflict to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to suffering populations, including children,” said the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict.
She urged all parties to immediately commit to a lasting cessation of hostilities, adding that “the future of children in Sudan depends on it.”
The report detailed how the war in Sudan has created unacceptable and catastrophic humanitarian consequences for children, who face hunger and the imminent threat of famine as humanitarian workers in Sudan continue to face significant obstacles in delivering humanitarian assistance.
Some 14 million children are in need of humanitarian and protection assistance, lacking access to food, water, shelter, electricity, education and healthcare. In addition, some 19 million children in Sudan are out of school.
Another worrying issue, the report noted, is the capacity gap left by the closure of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) and the departure of the mission’s dedicated child protection staff.
This will not only impact the monitoring and reporting of grave violations against children, but will also reduce the overall presence of child protection staff on the ground, hampering engagement with parties to the conflict and efforts to mitigate and address children’s protection needs.