UN urges immediate end to violence, protection of children in Sudan
The alarming surge in violence has caused by the rapid escalation of hostilities in Sudan has led to a detrimental impact on children, a top United Nations official said.

The alarming surge in violence has caused by the rapid escalation of hostilities in Sudan has led to a detrimental impact on children, a top United Nations official said.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), Virginia Gamba urged attention to the plight of children affected by the ongoing violence and strongly condemned the recent attacks in Khartoum State.
“Grave violations have risen to shocking levels since the conflict began. Hostilities must cease immediately, and all parties, particularly the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights laws,” she said Gamba, adding.
‘Furthermore, I am gravely concerned about continued inter communal violence including ethnically motivated attacks and the mass displacement of children.
According to the UN, the conflict in Sudan has exposed children to harrowing levels of violence and exploitation, leaving them physically and emotionally scarred.
Many have been recruited into armed groups, stripped of their childhood, and thrust into roles as fighters, spies, or laborers.
However, while girls face heightened risks of sexual violence, with reports of abduction and abuse emerging from conflict-affected areas, children are generally not only caught in the crosstire but are also deliberately targeted, including through the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.
Children have been attacked in schools, hospitals and displacement camps denying them safety and security. In addition, children, including those displaced are reportedly enduring severe hunger, with famine conditions confirmed in at least five areas.
Millions lack access to essential needs such as food, clean water, shelter, healthcare, and education.
The ongoing conflict in Sudan is having catastrophic consequences for children, with humanitarian efforts severely disrupted by security risks, bureaucratic obstacles, and damaged infrastructure.
Gamba emphasized that achieving peace in Sudan is the only sustainable way to protect children who have endured years of armed conflict and called on neighboring countries to keep their borders open to those seeking international protection or returning to
their countries of origin.
“All parties in Sudan must place the rights and needs of children at the center of efforts to achieve peace”, she stressed.