{"id":63686,"date":"2023-07-11T21:07:12","date_gmt":"2023-07-11T21:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/?p=63686"},"modified":"2025-12-05T16:16:30","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T16:16:30","slug":"the-civil-war-in-sudan-a-grave-humanitarian-crisis-for-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/the-civil-war-in-sudan-a-grave-humanitarian-crisis-for-children\/","title":{"rendered":"The civil war in Sudan: a grave humanitarian crisis for children"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sudan<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s past tensions and turmoil resurfaces in April 2023, with a civil <\/strong>war<\/strong><\/a> raging between the <\/strong>Sudanese<\/strong><\/a> military and the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (\u2018RSF<\/em>\u2019).<\/strong> At the crossroads of tensions and <\/strong>violence<\/strong><\/a> are the <\/strong>Sudanese<\/strong><\/a> population and a particularly vulnerable group in the midst of <\/strong>war<\/strong><\/a> – its children. Toppling an existing humanitarian crisis, the civil <\/strong>war<\/strong><\/a> places children in an even more dire humanitarian emergency, thereby stripping them of their <\/strong>fundamental human rights<\/strong><\/a>, such as their rights to <\/strong>life<\/strong><\/a>, <\/strong>protection<\/strong><\/a>, <\/strong>education<\/strong><\/a>, <\/strong>health<\/strong><\/a>, <\/strong>food<\/strong><\/a> and <\/strong>water<\/strong><\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sudan<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s history and past turmoil <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sudan<\/a> is for the most part ethnically mixed and the Sudanese<\/a> population does \u201cboast several major ethnic groups and hundreds of subgroups\u201d and also \u201cspeak numerous languages and dialects\u201d (Britannica, 2023). Since its independence, Sudan<\/a> has known various changes in its forms of government (Britannica, 2023). Successive regimes followed through time and it was mainly due to the difficulty to win over general acceptance from the diverse political constituencies existing in Sudan<\/a> (Britannica, 2023). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several conflicts<\/a> and wars<\/a> have occurred from 1955 onwards resulting in many casualties and violent incidents (Britannica, 2023). Omar al-Bashir came to power as President in 1989 with a military coup<\/em> that effectively \u201cremoved the country\u2019s last elected government\u201d (The Guardian, 2021). Following numerous discussions, cease-fires, and agreements spread through time, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement halted the warfare<\/a> situation in 2005 (Britannica, 2023).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recent <\/strong>conflicts<\/strong><\/a> and their underlying motives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Amid an uprising that occurred in April 2019, the (now<\/em> former<\/em>) President Omar al-Bashir was removed from power, after having presided for 30 years (Aljazeera, 2023). An agreement was reached the same year and consisted of a \u201cpower-sharing deal paving the way for a transition to a civilian-led government\u201d (Aljazeera, 2019). A joint military and civilian sovereign council were created to rule until 2023 (Aljazeera, 2019). However, during such an agreement period, distrust grew deep between the military and the civilian parties (Aljazeera, 2023). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continued protests and demonstrations erupted and the central point of tension was over \u201cthe civilian demand for oversight of the military and integration of the RSF into the regular armed forces\u201d (The Guardian, 2023). In October 2021, the Sudanese<\/a> military seized power in a coup<\/em>, arrested numerous civilian politicians and the prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, and therefore dissolved the civilian section of the government (The Guardian, 2021). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the Prime Minister was reinstated in November 2021, restoring the transition to civilian rule, he then resigned from his position in January 2022 amid the escalation of protests and subsequent deaths<\/a> (VOA, 2023).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The April 2023 civil <\/strong>war<\/strong><\/a> and the consequential humanitarian crisis <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Following negotiations between the military and civilian leaders in January 2023, on key contentious issues and on democratic transition, tensions emerged again between the army and the paramilitary over the proposed integration of the RSF into the regular army (VOA, 2023). On the 15th<\/sup> of April 2023, explosions<\/a> and gunfire<\/a> hit the capital of Khartoum (VOA, 2023). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cWhat is going on is as bad as anything I have seen in conflict<\/a> zones over the course of my long career. It is horrifying, tragic, brutal, and completely unnecessary. The full array of human rights (\u2026) are being violated\u201d <\/p>\n\u2013 Radhouane Nouicer, UN expert on Human Rights in Sudan<\/a> (United Nations Office of the High Commissioner, 2023). <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Before the civil war<\/a> erupted, the humanitarian predicament in Sudan<\/a> was already dire and worsening, with around 15.8 million people requiring humanitarian assistance at the time and with \u201cchildren being the most vulnerable\u201d (UNICEF, 2023). This civil war<\/a> is a crisis on top of another existing crisis in Sudan<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The intense clashes between the military and the paramilitary force have caused the deaths<\/a> of over 600 persons and injured approximately 5100 persons (Care, 2023). The civil war<\/a> forced a wave of civilians to leave their home<\/a>s, nearly 1.4 million in total, either becoming internally displaced<\/a> or refugees<\/a> (CNN, 2023).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Children and their <\/strong>fundamental human rights<\/strong><\/a> endangered <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Right to <\/em>life<\/em><\/a> and to <\/em>protection<\/em><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At least 9 children were killed in the current civil war<\/a> and \u201cmore than 50 injured during fighting\u201d (UNICEF, 2023). The ongoing hostilities<\/a> are objecting children to harm<\/a>, violence<\/a> and abuse<\/a>, \u201cincluding recruitment and use by armed groups<\/a>\u201d (UNICEF, 2023). Children, either isolated<\/a> from or displaced<\/a> together with their families, face grave danger and their rights to life<\/a> and protection<\/a> are daily trampled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right to <\/em>education<\/em><\/a> <\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, it has already been recounted that 8.1 million in-school children are being severely impacted by school closures (UNICEF, 2022). Since the civil war<\/a>, the number of children out of school is even more worrisome. Without school, children are deprived of safe learning spaces that would protect<\/a> them from any harm<\/a>, abuse<\/a> or exploitation<\/a>, which includes their recruitment from armed groups as child soldiers<\/a> (UNICEF, 2023). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Children need learning spaces and equal access to education<\/a> as it is their right<\/a>, and most importantly because \u201cfor every day that children remain out of school\u201d, their chances of returning to school are low, particularly for girls<\/a> (UNICEF, 2023).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right to <\/em>health<\/em><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The healthcare<\/a> system in Sudan<\/a> has been severely affected by the civil war<\/a>, \u201cwith one-third of Sudan<\/a>\u2019s healthcare<\/a> facilities no longer functioning\u201d, therefore severely depriving children and their families of gaining access to essential healthcare<\/a> services (UNICEF, 2023). Moreover, the cuts of power have equally affected the cold chain keeping the vaccines viable, therefore putting children at risk of deadly diseases<\/a> and disease outbreak<\/a>s (UNICEF, 2023). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On top of that, armed forces are occupying the deserted health<\/a> facilities and are also looting life<\/a>-saving treatments and supplies, thereby placing children\u2019s life<\/a> expectancy at a critical stage (Save the Children, 2023). Children\u2019s right to health<\/a> is so utterly breached that henceforth their survival can no longer be guaranteed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right to <\/em>food<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>water<\/em><\/a> <\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With the high-temperature climate<\/a> and droughts in Sudan<\/a>, access to sufficient and safe water<\/a> was already a concern (UNICEF, 2023). With the civil war<\/a>, there is a critical shortage of clean water<\/a> and basic sanitation services available in Sudan<\/a> (Norwegian Refugee Council, 2023). Conjointly, before the civil war<\/a>, Sudan<\/a> had the \u201chighest rates of child malnutrition<\/a> in the world\u201d (UNICEF, 2023).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the hostilities started again this year, the number of malnourished<\/a> children are on the rise (Care, 2023). Not only is there a food shortage<\/a> due to the hostilities<\/a>, but international humanitarian aid has also been halted, leaving children\u2019s health<\/a> to worsen daily (UNICEF, 2023). Without access to sufficient, safe water<\/a> and enough nutrition<\/a> daily, most children, especially infants, will not be able to outlive this civil war<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A call for <\/strong>peace<\/strong><\/a> and immediate humanitarian relief<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Humanium is terribly concerned by the infringement of children\u2019s fundamental human rights<\/a> by the current parties to the civil war<\/a> in Sudan<\/a>. Humanium has regrettably found that children\u2019s rights<\/a> and wellbeing<\/a>, previously already precarious, have concernedly worsened since the outbreak of the civil war<\/a>. Humanium calls onto the government and to all parties concerned in the civil war<\/a> to immediately: <\/p>\n\n\n\n