More than 200 children, some as young as one, raped in Sudan, UNICEF says

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Children in war-ravaged Sudan, some as young as a year old, have been raped since the beginning of 2024, according to the United Nations children’s agency.

In a report published on Tuesday, UNICEF said at least 221 children, including boys, were raped by armed men, according to records compiled by gender-based violence service providers in the North African nation.

Of those cases, 66 percent of the survivors were girls and the rest were boys. There were 16 survivors below the age of five, including four who were as young as one.

UNICEF recorded an additional 77 reported cases of sexual assault against children – primarily attempted rape.

The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023 between the military and its rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, with battles in capital Khartoum and around the country.