More Than 300 Children Killed or Injured in Sudan War in Six Months, UNICEF Says
More than 300 children have been killed or injured in Sudan's ongoing war over the past six months, the U.N. children's agency UNICEF said on Monday. Most of the child casualties were caused by drone strikes
More Than 300 Children Killed or Injured in Sudan War in Six Months, UNICEF Says
More than 300 children have been killed or injured in Sudan's ongoing war over the past six months, the U.N. children's agency UNICEF said on Monday. Most of the child casualties were caused by drone strikes.
Fighting between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has continued since April 2023.
According to UNICEF, the conflict is now concentrated in the Kordofan, Darfur, and Blue Nile states, where drone warfare accounts for about 60% of the reported casualties.
The United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other international actors have expressed deep concern over possible atrocities as the Sudanese military and the RSF battle for control of the strategically important city of El-Obeid in North Kordofan.
In Geneva on Monday, the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council approved a resolution introduced by five European countries condemning the escalating violence by the RSF and its allies in and around El-Obeid.
The measure, adopted without a vote, also called for greater support for countries hosting refugees fleeing Sudan and condemned all forms of external interference in the conflict.
The war has killed at least 59,000 people, displaced around 13 million, and pushed large parts of Sudan into famine. More than 30 million people across the country are now in need of humanitarian assistance.
Drone strikes and shelling have hit civilian infrastructure, including schools, markets, fuel stations, and water facilities, placing more than 500,000 people at risk. In some areas, civilians have endured near-siege conditions for more than a year.
"Children are being caught in a relentless cycle of violence, displacement and deprivation," said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF's representative for Sudan.
The United Nations urged all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, ensure safe, rapid and unhindered humanitarian access, and take every possible measure to protect children from harm.
