Sudan, Congo, Haiti top UN envoy's concerns for children in conflicts

The United Nations envoy charged with reporting on violations against children in conflicts around the world said that first and foremost she is worried about what's happening to youngsters in war-torn Sudan, followed by Congo and Haiti.

Virginia Gamba told a news conference officially launching the secretary-general's annual report and UN blacklist of violators that she is also very worried about children caught in Myanmar's civil war and the spillover into neighbouring Bangladesh.

For the future, on the horizon, she said, I'm worried about Somalia and Afghanistan.

The report for the first time put both Israeli forces and Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants on the blacklist for violating children's rights in 2023 during Hamas' October 7 surprise invasion of southern Israel and its massive military retaliation in Gaza that is ongoing.

The UN also kept the Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups on the blacklist for a second year over their killing and maiming of