CAIRO — The war in Sudan has left more than 300 children dead or injured in the last six months, mostly due to drone attacks, the UN children’s agency reported on Monday.
The Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been fighting since April 2023. The war is now concentrated in the states of Kordofan, Darfur, and Blue Nile, and according to UNICEF, drone attacks are responsible for 60% of the casualties.
The UN, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries have expressed alarm at the potential atrocities that could be committed as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the army fight for control of the strategic city of El-Obeid, in North Kordofan.
On Monday, in Geneva, the UN-backed Human Rights Council approved a measure, presented by five European countries, condemning the escalation of violence perpetrated by the RSF and its allies in and around El-Obeid.
The measure, approved without a vote, also encourages greater support for countries hosting refugees from Sudan and condemns “all forms of external interference” in the war.
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The conflict has caused the death of at least 59,000 people, the displacement of some 13 million and has plunged large parts of Sudan into famine. More than 30 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.
Drone attacks and bombings have targeted civilian infrastructure, such as schools, markets, gas stations, and water stations, putting more than 500,000 people at risk. In some areas, the civilian population has lived in virtually besieged conditions for more than a year.
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“Children are trapped in a relentless cycle of violence, displacement, and deprivation,” declared Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative to Sudan.
The UN urged the parties to “protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, allow and facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access, and take all possible measures to protect children from any harm”.
On the other hand, at least 15 informal miners died on Monday when an abandoned gold mine partially collapsed in the Wadi Halfa district, near Sudan’s border with Egypt, authorities reported.
Another miner was injured in the collapse of the Mohamed Taqfiq mine, owned by the state-owned company Sudanese Mineral Resources Co. The company stated that the miners resumed excavations at the site, despite the fact that authorities had previously closed it for safety reasons.
Sudan is one of Africa’s leading gold producers. According to official figures, it produced 70 tons of gold last year, compared to the 64 tons projected for 2024.
Artisanal and small-scale gold mining accounts for the majority of gold extracted in this vast country, where safety regulations are largely ignored.
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Landslides are frequent in the country. In May, at least seven miners died in a collapse at a mine in the Red Sea province. Thirteen more died in another collapse in the South Kordofan province in January.
