UNICEF calls the death of thirteen children in a bombing of a market in Sudan “unacceptable”

The organization warns that this “horrendous pattern” of violations will continue “as long as the conflict does not end” between the Army and the RSF

Oct. 7 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has described as “unacceptable” the death of at least thirteen children in the bombing carried out on Friday by the Sudanese Army against a market in the city of Al Kuma, in North Darfur, in in the middle of the war unleashed in April 2023 between the Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

“These attacks on children are unacceptable. Children have no role to play in wars or civil conflicts, but they are suffering the most as the conflict in Sudan escalates,” said the agency’s representative. in Sudan, Sheldon Yett.

“Children should be safe everywhere, in their homes, in their neighborhoods and on the streets,” he added. UNICEF has indicated that all the fatalities were between six and 17 years old, before adding that four other minors were injured in the bombing.

Likewise, UNICEF has highlighted that since Friday it has received more reports about the death of civilians in North Darfur, before denouncing that since the beginning of the conflict 150 schools and hospitals have been attacked, while health centers, water supply points and markets have also been destroyed.

“Until the conflict ends, we fear this horrendous pattern will persist,” Yett said. During 2023, the highest number of serious violations against children verified in Sudan occurred in more than a decade, despite international calls for the parties to respect Humanitarian Law.

“Thousands of children and families are trapped in areas affected by violence, insecurity and lack of protection. The continued violence and disregard for the safety and rights of children must end,” he concluded.

Sudan is mired in a civil war following hostilities that broke out in April 2023 within the framework of increased tensions over the integration of the RSF within the Armed Forces, a key part of a signed agreement in December 2022 to form a new civilian government and reactivate the transition opened after the 2019 overthrow of Omar Hasan al Bashir, damaged by the coup d’état of October 2021, in which the then transition minister, Abdullah Hamdok, was overthrown. .