UN: ‘Children in Sudan face horrific violence’

The conflict in Sudan has led to a horrifying surge in violence against children, including recruitment of children as combatants, underscoring the need for urgent and tangible protection measures, a new UN report shows. Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, expressed her horror at the violence.

The report on Children and Armed Conflict in Sudan, released on Tuesday, documents a staggering 2,168 grave violations against 1,913 children in 2022 and 2023 – a significant increase compared to the previous reporting period.

The most prevalent violations included killing and maiming (1,525 cases), recruitment and use of children in combat (277 cases), and sexual violence (153 cases). In addition, 33 children were abducted, 118 schools and hospitals attacked, and there were 62 incidents of denial of humanitarian access to children in need.

The situation worsened dramatically following the outbreak of hostilities between Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April year.

Sheer horror

Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, expressed her horror at the violence.

“I am appalled at the level of violence affecting children, the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure, including schools and medical facilities and the lack of effective efforts of parties to the conflict to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to suffering populations, including children,” she said.

“I urge all parties to immediately commit to a durable cessation of hostilities. The future of children in the Sudan depends on it.”

Catastrophic crisis

The humanitarian crisis in Sudan has reached catastrophic levels, with 14 million children in dire need of aid and protection.

Starvation and an imminent risk of famine loom large as humanitarian efforts face significant obstructions.

In addition, about 19 million children are out of school, and many lack access to basic necessities such as food, water, shelter, electricity, education and healthcare, the report said.

Progress undone

The report also noted that the termination of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) and the departure of its dedicated child protection staff have exacerbated the crisis, reducing the capacity to monitor and report on grave violations against children.

The loss also hampers engagement with the parties to the conflict and efforts to address child protection needs effectively.

Before the April 2023 escalation, there had been some progress, particularly through a 2021 roadmap that had led to the development of a national framework for the release and reintegration of children.

Despite the challenges and the ongoing hostilities, the United Nations has maintained its engagement with all warring parties, the report concludes.

‘Time is running out’

The latest UN report confirms international fears that ‘time is running out’ for millions of people in Sudan, who are at imminent risk of famine, displaced from their lands, living under bombardments, and cut off from humanitarian assistance. In a joint statemen in July, the principals of the UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) lament that “if we are prevented from providing aid rapidly and at scale, more people will die”. The IASC statement points out that with the conflict now in its second year, 18 million people are acutely hungry, including 3.6 million children who are acutely malnourished, and famine is quickly closing in on millions of people in Darfur, Kordofan, El Gezira, and Khartoum.