TERRORISM AND CHILDREN IN SUDAN

As of Nov. 1, the number of people affected by the conflict and in need of relief had risen by 250,000 to close to 2.3 million, more than one-third of the 6 million people estimated to have been in Darfur before fighting began, Kofi Annan said. By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,Published: December 6, 2004. History of Sudan

Darfur is not a pigment of a hedonists imagination-it exists and the worst affected are the children-the girls who regardless of age have been raped on countless occasions since the fighting began,the boys who have been forced to become soldiers and murderers,the babies that have died due to starvation.

Girls as young as eight are among the victims of mass rape in Darfur, western Sudan, said Amnesty International today (19 July 2004), as it published a new report on the impact on women and girls of ‘Janjawid’ militia raids in Darfur.

The degree of atrocities committed against the children is unbelievable. Every kind of crime that can be committed against children occurs in Sudan on a daily basis.The children are burnt alive,mutilated,forced into slavery,raped,turned into sex slaves,beaten,forcefully recruited as soldiers and many of them are dying from hunger,malnutrition and diseases.

The children have stopped schooling. Their lives and futures have come to a standstill.Many of the girls who have been raped are disgraced and ashamed.They can no longer marry.They have become "unclean".Many of them cannot love the children they bear and many mothers are too malnourished to breast feed their babies.

Sudan is a crisis that needs to be addressed globally.The AU,UN and many NGO'S are trying to help but there is still so much more to be done. There are many issues that need to be addressed in Sudan.What are the vested interests of the government of Sudan in this conflict? Is it the OIL?.Why is the International Community so slow in responding to the crisis?Why are millions of people still dying in Sudan?

The effects of this conflict will affect every country in the world. These children are the future. These children cannot fight the rebels and government on their own. These children cannot save themselves.

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Last Updated by Naa Amanshia Mettle-Nunoo on 20th December, 2004.