UN condemns killing of five children in Sudan protests

The UN child agency has denounced the killing of five children in Al-Obied city in North Kordofan, saying that the children aged 15 to 17 years old.

“The children of ages 15 to 17 were protesting the commencement of the school year amid the political uncertainty in Sudan. No child should be buried in their school uniform,” it said on Monday.

In a statement, UNICEF office in Sudan has further called for bringing the perpetrators of the attack to the justice.

“UNICEF calls on the government to investigate and hold all perpetrators of violence against children accountable. UNICEF calls on all parties to respect the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Sudan Child Act 2010 and refrain from committing grave violations against children, including the recruitment and use of children in armed forces or armed groups,” it added.

Demonstrations have erupted in Khartoum and angry protesters closed the main roads linking the Sudanese capital to other cities.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency that thousands of people took to the streets at Khartoum's Siteen street and neighboring residential areas, carrying banners that call for bringing those who killed the children to justice.

Earlier today, the authorities of the North Kordofan state have announced the curfew in the city up from 09:00 PM to 06:00 AM.

“The acting governor of the North Kordofan state has used his power to save the lives of the citizens and declare the curfew in the entire cities of the North Kordofan starting from 09:00 PM up to 06:00 AM,” a statement, signed by acting governor Alsadig Altybe Abdullah, said.

Sudanese opposition alliance of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) has denounced the killing of the children, holding the Transitional Military Council (TMC) including the military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) responsible for the massacre.

“We believe that the TMC and its forces including the army and the RSF are responsible for this massacre because they are the ones for the protection of the civilians and so they should bring the criminals who were involved in this massacre to justice,” it stressed.

In a statement, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD) said snipers opened fire on a protest staged by school students in the city of El-Obeid in the North Kordofan state, shooting dead five of them.

The identity of the shooters remains unclear.