Report at Radio Dabanga Dated Tuesday 22 August 2023 - excerpt:
Child soldiers reported in RSF and Sudan army battles
Fighting in El Shajara area of western Khartoum continued for the second day yesterday, following an attack on El Shajara Armoured Corps by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The Darfur Bar Association reported instances of child soldiers fighting for both parties of the conflict in El Shajara.
Child soldiers
The Darfur Bar Association (DBA) expressed grave concerns about the presence of children among army fighters in battles, some of whom were seen wearing RSF uniforms during military operations in El Shajara area. The Sudan War Monitor published a video in which a group of boys are shown operating a combat vehicle in the area.
According to a source of prominent Sudan researcher and analyst Eric Reeves, “an ugly reality has started to emerge. Among the dead, there were many children killed fighting with the RSF,” most of whom are reportedly from neighbourhoods in Khartoum mainly inhabited by populations from marginalised regions of Sudan, including Darfur and Blue Nile region.
The RSF used “money” and “false promises” to recruit the children, some of whom are as young as 14, according to the source.
In a statement released yesterday, the DBA underscored that “international humanitarian law and various international treaties and norms prohibit the recruitment of children under the age of fifteen” into combat.
It is considered a war crime in both international and non-international conflicts, as outlined in the International Criminal Court statute. The International Labour Organisation Convention and The Convention on the Rights of the Child also forbid children’s participation in military conflicts.
Lawyer Nafisa Hajar, who witnessed children present at SAF and RSF posts, deemed it a blatant violation of conventions and an infringement on children’s rights. She believes “involving children in conflict zones is unacceptable, and will lead to psychological issues.” She urged the international community and the Security Council to address child recruitment as a war crime.
GOOD riddance to bad rubbish. At least Prigozhin's not creating any more misery or harming anyone anymore. Commentators online warned him to stay away from windows and not accept food or drink from Mr Putin. This sort of thing used to befall African leaders but usually involved helicopters.
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Breaking news from the BBC 2 mins ago 18:14 PM BST Wed 23 Aug 2023:
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin killed in plane crash in Russia, with nine other people on board also dead
From BBC Live Reporting 8:48 PM BST Wed 23 Aug 2023 - full copy:
Written by Frank Gardner
BBC News, Security Correspondent
Prigozhin had been labelled a dead man walking
"A dead man walking" is how several Russia watchers have been describing the mercenary Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin ever since he led his mutinous march on Moscow in late June.
President Putin’s initial reaction to that challenge to Russia’s defence establishment was vitriolic, calling it a betrayal and a stab in the back in a video message on 24 June.
The fact that a deal was then hastily cobbled together that saw Prigozhin remain at large and subsequently pop up in Belarus, St Petersburg and this week, somewhere in Africa, did not mean he was safe.
"Revenge" commented the CIA Director William Burns, "is a dish Putin prefers served cold" or words to that effect.
None of this, of course, is proof that Prigozhin and his entourage were deliberately targeted.
But given the circumstances any claims that his demise, if confirmed, was an accident will see a lot of eyebrows raised.
Shortly after the first reports of the plane crash, Russian media swiftly established that the jet belonged to Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Shortly after that, the Russian Emergencies Ministry released a statement saying all 10 people on board had been killed.
But what was incredibly fast - suspiciously so - was the speed with which Rosaviatsiya, the Russian Aviation Authority, reacted: releasing a statement confirming that Yevgeny Prigozhin's name was on the passenger list of the aircraft.
As is usually the case in Russia, a lot of things remain unclear.
First and foremost, who exactly was on the plane: we have not yet received confirmation of whether Yevgeny Prigozhin is among the dead.
Secondly, what exactly happened – was the plane hit by air defence weapons? Was there an explosion on board?
It is exactly two months to the day since Wagner launched its brief mutiny, seizing a major Russian city and even marching on Moscow.
The failed coup was a significant humiliation for the Kremlin. What exactly happened today is still not known – but many in Russia have been speculating for weeks that Prigozhin’s days might be numbered.
Some Russian Telegram channels have speculated that Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin might have been on a different plane to the one that crashed today.
The other jet, another Embraer 600, has a registration number RA-02748.
The plane's flight records are partially inaccessible through FlightRadar24, a popular aircraft tracking website.
But data shows it departed from St Petersburg earlier today and flew towards Moscow. The trail disappears near Ostafyevo airport in the Russian capital.
The BBC has been unable to confirm if he was on board.
