♦ This week’s news in brief ♦
A compact weekly digest of Dabanga Sudan’s highlights of the news from Darfur and Sudan
A compact weekly digest of Dabanga Sudan's highlights of the news from Darfur and Sudan
♦ UN report: Hundreds of children recruited by rebels, Sudan army
March 28 – 2017 NEW YORK A new report by the UN Secretary-General details the deep impact of armed conflict on children in Sudan. It is the first report on children and armed conflict in the country published since the secession of South Sudan, and since the start of hostilities in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.
The UN verified the killing and maiming of close to 1,300 children, with a majority of child casualties (971) documented in Darfur. In all regions, hostilities between the Government and armed groups, including aerial bombardments, were the cause of the majority of child deaths and injuries in the past years.
Child recruitment declined during the period covered by the report, 2011-2016, said Leila Zerrougui, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict. “However, boys and girls continued to be victims of grave violations committed by all parties to the conflict, including killing and maiming, sexual violence, and attacks on schools and hospitals.” The UN confirmed that at least 372 children were victims of rape and sexual violence in Darfur.
230 cases of recruitment of children in South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Abyei were documented, with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) responsible for the majority of verified cases. Beginning in 2014, the trends illustrate a decrease in the number of child recruitment cases, albeit with the new concern of cross-border recruitment and use of children by Sudanese and South Sudanese groups: the rebel SPLM-N and JEM, and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in Opposition in the South.
♦ Water sources out of operation in Darfur, Kordofan
March 28 – 2017 ABBASIYA / UM KEDDADA Residents of Abbasiya renewed their complaints about a shortage of drinking water: a number of villages lack water sources amid the dry weather. People in North Darfur reported similar problems.
Approximately 10,000 residents and 2,000 displaced people in villages southwest of Abassiya in South Kordofan “suffer from extreme thirst” caused by wells which have run dry and the lack of other water sources. Residents speaking to Radio Dabanga yesterday pointed to the failed agricultural season that also causes problems regaring food security.
A disrupted water engine, reportedly the only one in the area of Um Keddada, has caused a drinking water shortage for residents of five villages in North Darfur, a villager reported on Monday.
Last week the Minister of Urban Planning of North Darfur announced the preparation of water pumps in El Fasher city for the coming dry summer. He made his remarks last week while water pumps in the nearby Zamzam camp for more than 200,000 displaced people continued to be stalled and a water reservoir south of El Fasher suffered from low groundwater levels.
In Sudan, only 68 per cent of households have access to basic improved water, and about 32 per cent of the population is drinking contaminated water from unimproved water sources, the UN children’s fund Unicef in Sudan reported on World Water Day.
Last December, experts warned that parts of Sudan could become uninhabitable as a result of climate change: the country experiences both droughts and floods, causing destruction to arable land and displacement of people.
More highlights from Radio Dabanga:
Girl, pregnant woman raped in West Darfur
March 28 – 2017 SIRBA Armed men raped a 17-year-old girl and a pregnant woman in Demet in Sirba locality on Sunday. Four militants, riding camels, attacked the two firewood collectors out…
SPLM-N leaders pay visit to contain tension in South Kordofan
March 27 – 2017 NUBA MOUNTAINS The leaders of the rebel SPLM-N paid a visit to their forces in the Nuba Mountains to show confidence in the movement in spite of what seem internal struggles for self-determination…
HRW to Jordan: Bar entry or arrest Sudan’s Al-Bashir
March 26 – 2017 AMMAN Human Rights Watch (HRW) said today that Jordan should deny entry to Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir or arrest him if he enters the country. Al-Bashir has been invited to visit Jordan on March 29, 2017…
UN welcomes Sudan food corridor
March 26 – 2017 KHARTOUM The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Marta Ruedas, today welcomed the decision by the Government of Sudan to open a new humanitarian corridor for food aid…
Darfur: Children's legs amputated after deadly traffic accident
March 24 – 2017 EL FASHER / NYALA Doctors have amputated the legs of three pupils from Rokoro locality, who were caught in last week's deadly traffic accident involving school children. The three pupils, between 16 and 18 years old…
One dead, 26 infected with cholera in Sudan’s El Gedaref
March 23 – 2017 EL GEDAREF A health source in El Gedaref state reported that one person has died and 26 others are infected with cholera. The medic told Radio Dabanga that on Tuesday and Wednesday, eastern El Galabat registered a death…
France to deport 27 Sudanese asylum seekers
March 22 – 2017 MARSEILLES The French authorities have decided to deport 27 Sudanese citizens, whose applications for political asylum have been unsuccessful. Deportation orders have been issued against 27 people, most of them from…
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