UN Calls for Protection of Children

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Virginia Gamba, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, emphasized the urgent need to protect children in Sudan, stating that the conflict in the country has exposed children to horrific levels of violence and exploitation.

Gamba urged all parties in Sudan to place the rights and needs of children at the center of efforts to achieve peace.

In a statement released the day before yesterday, she said, "Many children have been recruited into armed groups, deprived of their childhoods, and forced into roles as fighters, spies, or laborers. Girls face heightened risks of sexual violence, with reports of abduction and abuse from conflict-affected areas. Children are not only caught in the crossfire but are also deliberately targeted, including through the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, with attacks on schools, hospitals, and displacement camps depriving them of safety and security."

She added that children are suffering from severe hunger, with famine conditions confirmed in at least five areas. The conflict is leaving catastrophic consequences for children, with humanitarian efforts severely disrupted by security risks, bureaucratic obstacles, and damaged infrastructure.

Gamba stressed that achieving peace in Sudan is the only sustainable way to protect children who have endured years of armed conflict.