The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child issued a statement on Monday, marking one year since the conflict began in Sudan, highlighting that 24 million children in Sudan are at risk of a generational catastrophe. The children’s rights to life, survival, protection, education, health, and development have been brutally violated, with the committee urging all parties involved in the conflict to immediately halt these grave violations and stop recruiting children into armed forces.
Since the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces began in April 2023, there have been repeated attacks on civilians and civilian targets, widespread killings including those motivated by ethnicity, and thousands of civilian deaths, many of whom are children. The committee also expressed concern over reports of children being denied access to humanitarian aid, affecting their access to basic necessities and violating their economic and social rights.
According to UNICEF reports, of the 24 million children facing violations in Sudan, about 14 million are in dire need of humanitarian support, 19 million are out of school, and 4 million are displaced, making Sudan the largest child displacement crisis globally. Additionally, around 3.7 million children are suffering from severe malnutrition, including 730,000 with severe acute malnutrition.
The committee noted a sharp increase in the number of children killed or victims of sexual violence used as a weapon of war compared to the previous year. It warned that children are at increased risk due to the widespread armed recruitment, particularly in Darfur and other regions, including eastern Sudan. The children’s right to education is at risk for many years to come, exposing them to risks of sexual exploitation and trafficking.
The committee called for urgent measures to end these grave violations and fulfill obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It urged cooperation with the International Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan, established by the Human Rights Council in October 2023, to end impunity for crimes committed against children and other civilians, ensure access to humanitarian aid, and advance the negotiation process among conflict parties to restore peace and security.
Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, warned that some of these violations might amount to war crimes, emphasizing the need for swift, comprehensive, effective, transparent, independent, and impartial investigations into all allegations of human rights law and international humanitarian law violations, with those responsible brought to justice.
