Sudanese MPs "shocked" by child abductions

Two Sudanese MPs have concluded a five-day visit to Uganda in which they talked to victims of abductions by the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). The two - Chairman of the Committee of Human Rights and Public Duties Siraj al-Din Hamid Yusif and his deputy Ambrose Adi - were "physically shocked" at what they saw and heard, UNICEF's Programme Coordinator and Advisor on Advocacy Keith Wright told IRIN on Wednesday. "At the end of the visit, they were convinced that the humanitarian aspect of the insurgency should be separated from the political aspect," he said. The two announced they would return soon, probably accompanied by more MPs, to ascertain the situation. According to Wright, UNICEF has been involved in a three-year programme to facilitate a resolution to the issue of child abduction. UNICEF-Sudan has been in dialogue with the Khartoum government over a long period which culminated in the two travelling to assess the situation and report back to their parliament. "UNICEF has welcomed this opportunity because it is the biggest breakthrough so far. We are very hopeful that something good will come out of this, but we have to wait," Wright said. The number of registered missing people stands at 4,802, but it is not certain how many of them are alive.