By Rédaction Africanews and AFP
Children in Sudan are caught “in a relentless cycle of violence, displacement and deprivation,” the UN’s children’s agency said on Monday.
More than 300 children have been killed or injured in the last six months, mostly from drone strikes the UNICEF Representative for Sudan told the United Nations’ Human Rights Council.
Sudan has been mired in a war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 2023.
The fighting is now concentrated in the Kordofan, Darfur and Blue Nile states, with drone warfare responsible for 60 percent of casualties, UNICEF said.
The UN called on parties “to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, facilitate humanitarian access, and take all possible measures to protect children from harm.”
The UN, US, UK and others have expressed alarm about potential atrocities as the RSF and the military fight for control of the strategic city of el-Obeid, in North Kordofan.
The Council approved a measure condemning the escalating violence by the RSF and its allies in and around el-Obeid.
The measure also encourages greater support for countries hosting refugees from Sudan and condemns “all forms of external interference” in the war.
The conflict has killed at least 59,000 people, displaced some 13 million and pushed many parts of Sudan into famine. More than 30 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.
Drone strikes and shelling have targeted civilian infrastructure including schools, markets, fuel and water stations putting over 500,000 people at risk. Civilians have faced almost siegelike conditions for over a year.
