United Nations: Both Parties to the Conflict Must Cease Child Recruitment
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The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has called on both parties to the conflict in Sudan to stop recruiting children and spare them the impact of the military operations conducted by both sides, stating that they have recruited hundreds of children in Darfur and Eastern Sudan.
In a statement issued on Monday titled "On the Occasion of One Year of Atrocities against Sudanese Children," the committee reminded Sudan of its obligations under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict in light of reports indicating that both conflict parties have recruited hundreds of children in Darfur and Eastern Sudan. The committee urged Sudan to immediately cease child recruitment and spare them the impact of the military operations conducted by both parties.
It added, "After twelve months of armed conflict in Sudan, 24 million children are at risk of a generational catastrophe, with their rights to life, survival, protection, education, health, and development seriously violated."
Expressing "grave concern about these clear violations of childrens rights to life, survival, education, and development under international human rights law and international humanitarian law."
The committee urged Sudan to take all urgent and necessary measures immediately to put an end to these serious violations and fulfill its obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
It stated that it has received reports of civilian rape, including children, and the obstruction of humanitarian access, affecting childrens access to basic necessities, among other violations of international law, including violations of childrens economic and social rights.
It increased "a sharp rise in the number of children killed or subjected to sexual violence as a weapon of war compared to last year. Children are at greater risk due to the widespread recruitment of children in armed conflict, especially in Darfur and other areas, including Eastern Sudan."
It added, "These violations have exposed 24 million children in Sudan to the risk of a generational catastrophe. Among these children, there are 14 million children in dire need of humanitarian support, 19 million out of school, and 4 million internally displaced, according to UNICEF, making Sudan now the worlds largest child displacement crisis."
It continued, "Schools have been destroyed across the country, or at least 170 university campuses have been converted into emergency shelters for internally displaced persons, endangering childrens right to education for many years to come and exposing them to the risk of sexual exploitation and trafficking."
The committee also urged Sudan to cooperate with the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan, established by the Human Rights Council in October 2023, to put an end to impunity for crimes committed against children and other civilians, and to allow access to humanitarian assistance. And to move forward in the negotiation process between the conflict parties to restore peace and security.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, reiterated the warning that "some of these violations amount to war crimes. There must be prompt, comprehensive, effective, transparent, independent, and impartial investigations into all allegations and violations. And violations must be brought to justice under international human rights law and international humanitarian law."
