ICRC facilitates release of 30 children detained in Sudan war
September 16, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Friday said it facilitated an operation in which more than 30 previously detained children were released by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
ICRC said it played a neutral intermediary role during the operation, organizing the safe transportation of the children by road from Khartoum to Wad Madani.
According to the agency, its delegates checked on their health and any concerns they may have prior to travel, provided them with clothes and hygiene items, and will be supporting them to re-establish contact with their families.
“The children released today should first and foremost be considered as victims of this conflict,” said Katja Lorenz, the ICRC’s head of delegation in Sudan, adding “We are relieved that they are released from detention and moved away from an area of active hostilities to an environment that is more appropriate for their situation and from where they can eventually be reunited with their families”.
Sudan’s Social Development ministry will take custody of the children while ICRC will follow up on their situation and reconnect them with their family members.
While fighting in Sudan is ongoing, over 150,000 Sudanese refugees are reportedly in Adré, on the border between Chad and the western Darfur region of Sudan.
Most of the refugees are women and children fleeing extreme violence that has ravaged their homes and villages since April, ICRC further noted in its statement.
Also, thousands of families have reportedly been separated, and ICRC teams working together with the Red Cross Society of Chad have helped Sudanese refugees make hundreds of phone calls to their loved ones.
About 560 refugees are now back in touch with their relatives, the agency stated.
Meanwhile, ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric visited the border region between Chad and western Darfur to see the humanitarian consequences of the conflict.
The top ICRC official spoke with Sudanese refugees and local authorities in Adré.
“We are trying to make sure that they can at least contact their families. It is a primary concern for them to know where their relatives are. But they also need to be able to subsist on something,” explained Spoljaric.
She added, “Without additional resources these communities will not be able to absorb the pressure of so many additional people who have nothing to eat.”
ICRC, working with Sudanese Red Crescent, has provided relief and essential assistance to thousands of displaced people since war broke out in Sudan in mid-April.
“With limited resources and growing needs in eastern Chad and Sudan, the ICRC is appealing to its donors for additional funding to help those in need,” it stressed.
According to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sudan has almost doubled to at least 7.1 million people.
(ST)