KHARTOUM, March 24, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Eight children were killed on
Saturday in the Sudanese city of Omdurman when an unidentified object they
found exploded, a police spokesman told AFP.
Seven children were killed on the spot while the eighth one died of wounds
at a hospital, General Hashim Abdelrahim said.
He said the children, who were thought to be searching for scrap, which
they later sell, came across a “strange object” which “exploded” when they
handled it.
The area where the incident took place in north Omdurman hosted a military
facility several years ago.
Sudanese state media confirmed that eight children had died in a blast. It
did not offer details.
Abdelrahim said the police were investigating the incident.
Many school-aged children often have to resort to menial jobs to earn a
living amid a worsening economic crisis that has seen food prices soar.
The economic crisis has triggered nationwide protests for more than three
months against the rule of President Omar al-Bashir.
Bashir has remained defiant, and imposed a nationwide state of emergency
on February 22 to quell the demonstrations seen as the biggest challenge to
his three-decade rule.