The United Nations has added Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on their blacklist for "the killing and maiming of children and for attacks on schools and hospitals."
The UN's soon-to-be released annual "Children in Armed Conflict" report says violence against children in armed conflicts reached "extreme levels" in 2023, particularly in Gaza and Sudan.
Also added to the blacklist were Hamas, as well as the Israeli army for its war against Hamas in Gaza.
"In 2023, violence against children in armed conflict reached extreme levels, with a shocking 21 percent increase in grave violations," said the report by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, which is due to be published on Thursday.
'Violations against children'
The UN verified 30,705 violations committed against children last year, including 5,301 killings, 6,348 injuries, 8,655 instances of children recruited and used in conflicts, 5,205 denials of humanitarian access, and 4,356 kidnappings.
"We've never verified so many violations against children as last year," said a senior UN official speaking on condition of anonymity.
In 2023, "children bore the brunt of multiplying and escalating crises that were marked by a complete disregard for child rights, notably the inherent right to life," the report said.
Sudan has seen "a staggering 480 percent increase in grave violations against children" from 2022 to 2023, the report said.
Deadly attacks
The RSF paramilitary force was listed for recruiting children and other forms of violence against children," as well as attacks on schools and hospitals.
"I am appalled by the dramatic increase in grave violations," Guterres wrote in the report, also noting a rise in ethnically motivated attacks and mass displacement of children in Sudan.
Global spotlight
Covering some 20 conflict zones worldwide, the report includes killing, injuring, recruitment, kidnapping, and sexual violence against children.
The Russian army and "affiliated armed groups," remained on the blacklist for killing 80 children in Ukraine in 2023 and injuring 339.
The conflict in the Middle East has led to a 155 percent increase in grave violations against children, the report said.
The UN verified that 43 Israeli children were killed in Israel and the West Bank during the October 7 attack, and a total of 47 Israeli children were abducted by Hamas and other Palestinian groups.
The report also confirmed the deaths of 2,141 Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip in 2023, with 2,051 killed between October 7 and December 31.
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