UNICEF: 3 Million Children in Sudan’s Al Jazirah State at Risk

Individuals fleeing violence in West Darfur. (Reuters)
Individuals fleeing violence in West Darfur. (Reuters)
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UNICEF: 3 Million Children in Sudan’s Al Jazirah State at Risk

Individuals fleeing violence in West Darfur. (Reuters)
Individuals fleeing violence in West Darfur. (Reuters)

Almost 3 million children in Sudan’s Al Jazirah state are at risk as violence escalates, UNICEF revealed in a new report.

"The escalation in fighting in Sudan’s Al Jazirah state has reportedly forced at least 150,000 children from their homes in less than a week," UNICEF warned.

It also said that an estimated 5.9 million people live in Al Jazirah State, with approximately half of the population being children.

Since the escalation of the conflict in Sudan on April 15, nearly 500,000 people fled violence elsewhere in the country to Al Jazirah State, with almost 90,000 of those seeking refuge in the state capital Wad Madani, the press release read.

"Even prior to the latest escalation in Madani, more than 3 million children had been forced to flee widespread violence in search of safety, food and water, shelter and protection, opportunities for learning and health care—most remaining within Sudan—while hundreds of thousands are sheltering in sprawling makeshift camps in neighbouring countries. This makes Sudan the largest child displacement crisis in the world," the UNICEF statement noted.

“Tens of thousands of vulnerable children in Al Jazirah state have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety as fighting erupts into areas that were previously considered relatively safe,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

“This new wave of violence could leave children and families trapped between fighting lines or caught in the crossfire, with fatal consequences. With reports of renewed fighting elsewhere in the country, millions of children in Sudan are once again at grave risk.”

UNICEF stressed again its call for an immediate ceasefire across Sudan, and reiterated its call for all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian and human rights law – including ensuring that children are protected – and that rapid, safe, unimpeded humanitarian access to children and families in affected areas is facilitated.



Lebanon Detains Several People on Suspicion of Firing Rockets at Israel

A view shows a damaged site in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, as Israeli troops withdrew from most of south Lebanon, in Lebanon, February 19, 2025. (Reuters)
A view shows a damaged site in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, as Israeli troops withdrew from most of south Lebanon, in Lebanon, February 19, 2025. (Reuters)
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Lebanon Detains Several People on Suspicion of Firing Rockets at Israel

A view shows a damaged site in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, as Israeli troops withdrew from most of south Lebanon, in Lebanon, February 19, 2025. (Reuters)
A view shows a damaged site in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, as Israeli troops withdrew from most of south Lebanon, in Lebanon, February 19, 2025. (Reuters)

The Lebanese military said it has detained a group of people linked to firing rockets into Israel last month.

In a statement issued late Wednesday night, the army said it had detained several people, including a number of Palestinians, who were involved in firing rockets in two separate attacks toward Israel in late March that triggered intense Israeli airstrikes on parts of Lebanon. Lebanon’s Hezbollah group denied at the time it was behind the firing of rockets, The Associated Press reported.

The army said that a vehicle and other equipment used in the rockets attacks were confiscated and the detainees were referred to judicial authorities. The army said it had carried out raids in different parts of Lebanon to detain the suspects without giving further details.

On Thursday, the state-run National News Agency reported that Gen. Rodolph Haikal briefed a weekly cabinet meeting about the security situation along the border and the ongoing implementation of the UN Security Council resolution that ended the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war.

Three security and one judicial official told The Associated Press that four Palestinians linked to the Hamas group are being questioned.

A Hamas official told the AP that several members of the group were detained in Lebanon recently and released shortly afterward adding that they were not involved in firing rockets into Israel. He said in one case authorities detained a Hamas member who was carrying an unlicensed pistol.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Hezbollah started launching attacks on Israel a day after the Israel-Hamas war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023 with the Palestinian militants’ attack on southern Israel. The war that left more than 4,000 people dead in Lebanon and caused wide destruction ended in late November with a US-brokered ceasefire.

Since the ceasefire went into effect in late November, Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes that left dozens of civilians and Hezbollah members dead.

On Tuesday, the office of the UN high commissioner for human rights said that at least 71 civilians, including 14 women and nine children, have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon since a ceasefire took effect.