Children engulfed by the war in Sudan… amidst demands to investigate the Islamists

 

Whilst the wave of demands has been on the rise recently, calling for an investigation into the Port Sudan forces for using children as fuel for the war, the official spokesperson for the Sudan Founding Alliance (Tasis), Dr. Alaa El-Din Nugud, stated that the recruitment of minors by Islamists and their allied militias, such as the “Sudan Shield,” is still ongoing.

Nugud added to (Erm News) that the appearance of children has become glaringly evident in the battles that took place in Kordofan, especially when a large number of minors were interrogated. He pointed out that this recruitment was carried out by exploiting the war, its circumstances, and the poor financial situation of families across the country, as well as by using threats, as they demand the enlistment of a person from each family, regardless of their age.

Threats and Extortion

The official spokesperson for (Tasis) explained that children under the age of eighteen are subjected to all forms of threats and extortion, with some even being kidnapped and thrown into camps and military bases for later transport to combat sites. He confirmed that all of the aforementioned is documented in leaked videos featuring children in military uniform.

Nugud emphasized in his statement that the Islamists’ actions constitute a clear violation of international treaties prohibiting the recruitment of children, leading to their enforced disappearance due to the Port Sudan forces’ disregard for any international, human rights, or humanitarian laws.

For their part, experts and human rights activists believe that the alarmingly increasing number of child disappearance cases in Sudan is directly linked to the involvement of the Port Sudan forces in recruiting minors and exploiting the conditions of war and the consequential poverty.

Furthermore, this is linked to the activity of human trafficking and organ trafficking gangs as well, which have clearly found a fertile environment for their expansion amidst the overall fragile security situation.

Experts confirm that this phenomenon has become a blatant violation of international treaties on child protection in the absence of any sense of accountability, compound with weak oversight, which is more than sufficient ammunition to foster the environment needed for one of the most dangerous humanitarian consequences of the ongoing conflict in the country to take place.

State Involvement

For her part, legal expert Noon Kashkoushstated that the phenomenon of child disappearances, which may be enforced, is linked to the State, which carries out arrests and subsequently causes disappearances that result in deaths.

According to the legal expert’s statement to (Erem News), monitoring the cases in detention centers revealed the presence of children under the age of eighteen being detained with adults, in violation of child protection standards.

Kashkoush indicated that the disappearance of children in light of Sudan’s current circumstances and insecurity suggests the presence of gangs exploiting this fragile security situation to engage in human and organ trafficking, especially since an investigation revealed the involvement of gangs in this matter.

Furthermore, the expert explained that, notably, a large number of children joined the ranks of brigades and militias in Sudan, citing the Sudan Shield Brigades, which are fighting alongside the Port Sudan Forces, as well as Al-Baraa Ibn Malik Brigades, in addition to the recruitment and use of children in combat.

She emphasized that videos circulating about the Kordofan battles reveal the presence of numerous children fighting alongside the aforementioned forces.

In conclusion, legal expert Noon Kashkoush called for an investigation into the issue, adding that if the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan’s mandate is renewed in early October, then the latter ought to pay ample attention to the aforementioned phenomenon, as it is the only body authorized to investigate.