“Emergency Lawyers” Call for Investigation into Disappearance of Dozens of Children in Sudan

The group Emergency Lawyers has called for an investigation into the disappearance of dozens of children in Sudan’s Red Sea, Gedaref, and River Nile states, after documenting 40 missing cases in September alone — including 18 girls and 22 boys aged between 3 and 16.

The group confirmed a rise in child disappearance cases in Port Sudan and other areas, stressing that these incidents pose a serious threat to community safety and security and constitute a grave crime under Sudanese law and international conventions.

Emergency Lawyers urged the authorities to launch urgent investigations, hold those responsible accountable, and tighten security monitoring within neighborhoods as well as at city entry and exit points — including searching suspicious vehicles.

The group noted that it has received hundreds of complaints and reports from families and citizens regarding the alarming phenomenon of missing children.

According to the information available, there appear to be repeated patterns of child targeting amid insufficient security oversight, with possible involvement of criminal networks or groups engaged in exploitation, human trafficking, or spreading social fear.

The statement warned that any negligence or secrecy in addressing these crimes could pave the way for serious violations, including human trafficking, child recruitment, and exploitation.

Thousands of children in Sudan have already been subjected to grave violations amid the ongoing conflict — including killing, rape, forced recruitment, disappearance, displacement, and denial of education.