What is the situation for children in Sudan?
Currently, the situation in Sudan is very much post-conflict, but it has all the remnants of a 20-year long conflict. Some people would even talk of 50 years of conflict. But there are two generations that grew up and they know nothing but conflict. In post-conflict Sudan, there are extremely limited services available for children. Most have been associated one way or the other with the SPLM – the armed forces of the south. The SPLM does not have forcible recruitment as can be seen in many other countries in conflict. It has been viewed as a movement and a natural form of association. What was done over the last 18 months since I’ve been in Sudan was to directly negotiate with the hierarchy of the army. Our section, alongside UNICEF, got them to sign an agreement to release all children from the military barracks and from all forms of association. UNICEF has an extensive programme of reintegration of child soldiers into society. It has a broad-based approach. It does not only narrowly
