Nyala, June 29 (Darfur24)
The number of unaccompanied children in shelters and displacement camps in Nyala, South Darfur State, is increasing as the conflict continues to separate families and child protection services remain largely absent, multiple sources said on Sunday.
A source at a displacement shelter in Nyala told Darfur24 that around 15 unaccompanied children are currently staying at the Al-Safna and Mahira shelters.
The source stated that the children arrived in Nyala with families they had met while fleeing military confrontations. Most are from Kordofan and North Darfur, are between five and ten years old, and have no identity documents or proof of registration. Many are also unable to provide their full names.
Officials at Atash camp for displaced people, north of Nyala, told Darfur24 that 30 unaccompanied children arrived at the camp from Zamzam camp and Khartoum State between October last year and March this year. They are currently living with foster families inside the camp.
Earlier, the Ministry of Social Affairs under the Rapid Support Forces’ Civil Administration in South Darfur announced that it had reunited five children with their families in the Hamra al-Sheikh area of North Kordofan State.
Displaced people in the camps told Darfur24 that no authority is responsible for registering unaccompanied children or providing them with psychosocial support.
In March, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it had identified 42,000 unaccompanied and separated children in Sudan and neighboring countries as a result of the conflict.
Child protection systems across Sudan—particularly in Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan—have largely collapsed during the war, exposing children to heightened risks, including recruitment and use by armed groups in combat, at checkpoints, for intelligence gathering and for sexual exploitation.