Sudan: UN accuses parties to conflict of ‘serious’ violations against children

The UN accused the warring parties in Sudan yesterday of committing “serious” violations against children, as well as killing civilians and attacking hospitals, Anadolu has reported.

A statement from the international organisation said that human rights officials had “documented dozens of incidents, including killings, arrests, cases of potential disappearance, attacks on hospitals, sexual violence and other serious violations against children committed by the parties to the conflict.”

It added that there are ongoing communications with the conflict parties to “take action against the perpetrators and protect civilians and their properties.”

Furthermore, the UN mission described the situation in Khartoum, Omdurman and Bahri, as “extremely alarming”. It also pointed out that the situation is deteriorating in West Darfur, Garsila (Central Darfur), and Kutum (North Darfur), affecting civilians, including women and children, who are trapped between the warring parties.

READ: 13.6m children in dire need of relief in Sudan

On Sunday, Saudi Arabia and the United States called on the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces to agree to a new, “effective” ceasefire.

Fighting has been ongoing between the army led by Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the RSF led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (aka Hemedti) in Khartoum and other cities since 15 April. This has resulted in hundreds of fatalities and thousands of injuries among civilians, creating a new wave of refugees in one of the world’s poorest countries.