UNITED NATIONS (AP) 鈥 The United Nations envoy charged with reporting on violations against children in conflicts around the world said Thursday that first and foremost she is worried about what鈥檚 happening to youngsters in war-torn Sudan, followed by Congo and Haiti.
Virginia Gamba told a news conference officially launching the secretary-general鈥檚 annual report and U.N. blacklist of violators that she is also very worried about children and the spillover into neighboring Bangladesh.
鈥淔or the future, on the horizon,鈥 she said, 鈥淚鈥檓 worried about Somalia and Afghanistan.鈥
The report for the first time put both Israeli forces and Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants on the blacklist for violating children鈥檚 rights in 2023 during of southern Israel and its massive military .
The U.N. also kept the Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups on the blacklist for a second year over their and attacks on schools and hospitals in 2023.
Gamba said she remains very concerned about the plight of children in the and in Gaza, as well as in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
鈥淏ut the ones that I鈥檓 really worried about for, let鈥檚 say, the rest of this year and beginning of next year, are , particularly Darfur, and Chad because it is expanding,鈥 she said.
Sudan plunged into conflict in mid-April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between its military and paramilitary leaders broke out in the capital Khartoum and spread to other regions including Darfur, which became synonymous with genocide and war crimes two decades ago. The U.N. says over 14,000 people have been killed and 33,000 injured.
Gamba said their 鈥渇erocious armed struggle鈥 led to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces being put on the blacklist for killing and maiming, raping and committing other acts of sexual violence, as well as attacking schools and hospitals. The Sudanese Armed Forces were listed for killing and injuring children and attacking schools and hospitals.
, the 13,500-strong U.N. peacekeeping force is in the process of withdrawing by the end of December, leaving rebel groups and government forces fighting in its mineral-rich east where security has deteriorated. Gamba said 鈥渕assive sexual violence鈥 against children is taking place and 鈥渋s going to swell.鈥
The new report has Congo鈥檚 armed forces and 16 armed groups fighting in the country on the U.N. blacklist for violating children鈥檚 rights.
When the , Gamba said, 鈥淚 lose my eyes.鈥 Though monitoring of abuses will continue, it won鈥檛 be the same level of engagement, she said.
The violence in Haiti only became 鈥渁 situation of concern鈥 for her office in June 2023, Gamba said, so it only monitored violence against children for the last six months of that year. This meant Secretary-General Antonio Guterres didn鈥檛 have enough data to decide whether any parties should go on the blacklist.
Gangs have grown in power since the , and are now estimated to control up to 80% of the capital. The surge in killings, rapes and kidnappings has led to a s.
In the report, the U.N. chief expressed deep concern at the 鈥渋ndiscriminate armed gang violence and grave violations against children.鈥 It says the U.N. verified 383 grave violations against 307 children in the last six months of 2023 鈥 160 boys, 117 girls and 30 whose sex wasn鈥檛 known 鈥 and it lists about a dozen gangs that were responsible for the violations.
Gamba said she is very concerned because grave violations of children鈥檚 rights seem to be 鈥渆ndemic, and particularly systemic (is) the rape of girls.鈥
