An activist in eastern Sudan has accused an armed movement with documented ties to the Sudanese army of recruiting and training children, calling for urgent intervention to halt the alleged practice.
Mohamedin Haminait said in a Facebook post that the movement led by Mohamed Taher Suleiman Beitai was depriving children of their right to education and a safe childhood, according to a report published by Al-Rakoba on Saturday.
He urged the international community, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and child protection authorities to intervene.
Beitai leads the National Movement for Justice and Development in eastern Sudan, which Al Jazeera’s Centre for Studies has described as Eritrean-backed and allied with the Sudanese army. The movement also belongs to an eastern Sudan alliance that subsequently declared neutrality in the war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces while maintaining security arrangements with military authorities.
Haminait condemned the alleged exploitation of children for financial gain and their involvement in political, religious and military conflicts.
He attached a photograph that he said was taken at a camp belonging to the organisation in Gedaref state. The report did not establish when the image was taken or identify the children pictured.
