More Than 300 Children Killed or Wounded in Sudan in Six Months, UNICEF Warns

The UN children's agency says drone strikes account for most of the casualties, as fighting rages across Kordofan, Darfur and Blue Nile and half a million people are left at risk

More than 300 children have been killed or wounded in Sudan over the past six months, with drone strikes responsible for the majority of the casualties, the United Nations children’s agency (UNICEF) said on Monday, as fighting grinds on across several regions of the country.

In a statement, UNICEF said roughly 60 percent of the child casualties recorded during that period were caused by drone warfare. The agency said the violence is now concentrated in the states of Kordofan, Darfur and Blue Nile.

Drone strikes and shelling have hit civilian infrastructure — including schools, markets, fuel depots and water stations — leaving more than 500,000 people at risk, according to UNICEF. The agency added that civilians in some areas have endured siege-like conditions for over 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, for its part, urged all sides in the conflict to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, to allow safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, and to take every possible measure to shield children from harm.

UN rights body condemns escalating violence

Sudan has been at war since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The UN has warned of the risk of further atrocities as the two sides battle for control of the strategic city of el-Obeid in North Kordofan.

Also on Monday, the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva adopted, without a vote, a measure condemning the escalating violence by the RSF and its allies in and around el-Obeid. The text also called for greater support for countries hosting Sudanese refugees and denounced all forms of external interference in the conflict.

The war has killed at least 59,000 people, displaced some 13 million and driven parts of the country into famine. More than 30 million people across Sudan are now estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance.

Reference: PressTv