The Sudanese National Observatory for Human Rights announced that it had documented cases of child recruitment within the ranks of the Al-Baraa bin Malik militias allied with the Sudanese Armed Forces, describing the practice as a serious violation of international humanitarian law and child protection conventions.
The Observatory stated that images and field information obtained by its team indicate the presence of children deployed in conflict zones and participating in military formations linked to the ongoing war in Sudan, amid growing concerns over the exploitation of minors in armed conflict.
The statement stressed that recruiting children into armed groups constitutes a violation of international conventions, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its additional protocols, which prohibit the use of children in military operations.
The Observatory called on international organizations and UN mechanisms concerned with child protection to urgently intervene and monitor such violations, warning that the ongoing conflict has significantly worsened abuses against children across Sudan.
