Fighting in Sudan's North Darfur kills at least 13 children, UNICEF says

CAIRO (AP) — Fighting between the Sudanese military and its rival paramilitary in Sudan ’s North Darfur killed at least 13 children and injured four others, UNICEF said.

The children were between 6 and 17 years old, the U.N. agency said in a statement on Sunday.

The Sudanese army on Friday launched airstrikes that targeted a market in the town of Al Kuma, around 70 kilometers (43 miles) east of the North Darfur capital of El Fasher, the local Daily Sudan Post reported.

The airstrikes, which also hit the city of Mellit, killed at least 45 people and injured dozens of others, according to the Sudan Tribune news portal and the Central Observatory for Human Rights.

Hamrat al-Sheikh in North Kordofan was also struck, according to Mohammed H. al-Ta’ishi, a former member of the Sovereignty Council of Sudan, who said Saturday that the strikes targeted areas that “haven’t seen any form of confrontation since the war began.”

War between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces broke out in April 2023 in the capital, Khartoum, and has spread across the country. Darfur has seen particularly intense fighting.

“These attacks on children are unacceptable. Children have no role to play in wars or civil conflict, but children are the ones who are suffering the most as the conflict in Sudan grinds on,” said Sheldon Yett, a UNICEF representative to Sudan.

“Children should be safe everywhere, in their homes, neighborhoods, and on the streets," Yett added.

The U.N. estimated that 20,000 people have been killed and thousands injured since the conflict began. The war has also displaced over 10 million people, including 2.4 million who fled to neighboring countries and other nations.