Head of civil society organizations in Sudan warns of recruiting young children in ongoing war

The head of civil society organizations and the national initiative to solve the Sudanese crisis, Adel Abdel Baki Ali, revealed on Tuesday that more than 1,200,000 million children in Sudan are exposed to miserable conditions, warning of the exploitation of children with special needs.

In a press statement to Shia Waves Agency, Ali said that “more than one million and two hundred thousand Sudanese children are currently suffering from miserable humanitarian conditions due to the ongoing conflict in the country,” noting that “children deprived of support and those with special needs are being exploited in the worst possible ways that do not comply with child rights.”

Ali confirmed that “more than 85,000 children in different states are involved in military operations at ages ranging from (9 to 11 years),” accusing the security agencies of “exploiting the deplorable state of the displaced people in camps and shelters by mobilizing them in the army, especially children and the elderly.”

He pointed out that “the innocent citizens who fled the war in conflict areas have become looking for security in states under the control of the Sudanese army, but they are being handed over under the name of (the armed popular resistance) which has become a defensive front for the armed forces and an enemy of the Rapid Support Forces.”

Meanwhile, the head of civil society organizations condemned the random arming of children in camps and shelters, and called on UNICEF, Save the Children, and regional and international organizations to “condemn the arbitrary recruitment of children in Sudan, and to take immediate action to protect the displaced in camps and shelters.”