Sudanese children of Daesh militants released in Libya

Forces linked to Government of National Accord (GNA) attack Daesh positions during the operation ”Al Bunyan Al Marsous” at the city of Sirte, Libya on 21 November 2016 [Hazem Turkia/Anadolu Agency]

Four children from Sudan whose parents are believed to have been killed fighting for Daesh in the Libyan city of Sirte last year were handed over to the Sudanese consul on Sunday for return to their country.

Sirte was a stronghold for Daesh from 2015-2016, when Libyan forces backed by US air strikes ousted the ultra-hardline group. Hundreds of foreign militants joined Daesh in Sirte.

Dozens of women and children detained towards the end of the fighting have been held in Misrata, the city from which the military campaign in Sirte was led.

They include nationals of Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, Senegal, Chad, and Niger. Twenty-one Libyan children have been handed back to their families.

In June, eight children were handed over to the Sudanese authorities and returned to Sudan. Eleven other Sudanese women and children are still in Misrata.

The Red Crescent’s head of psychological support in Misrata, Salah Abuzreba, appealed to all countries “that haven’t responded until this moment to receive those children as a human act, so they can be returned to their relatives”.

Read: Orphaned Daesh babies returned to Sudan from Libya

Image of a Daesh militant [Alghader Satellite Channel/Facebook]

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