NATIONAL NEWS
MONROVIA – Liberia has issued a strong warning that Sudan’s ongoing war could produce consequences far beyond the current humanitarian crisis, cautioning that the continued disruption of education risks creating a generation vulnerable to poverty, armed recruitment and renewed instability.
By: Kabina S. Kabah – kabinaskabah98@gmail.com
Liberia’s warning was delivered by Cllr. Aloysius T. Jappah, Political Coordinator of Liberia’s UN Security Council Team, during the August 7 African Union (AU) Formula Meeting on “Safeguarding Education in Sudan, Investing in Peace and Recovery.”
Jappah said the devastating impact of the conflict is being felt most deeply by children, citing estimates that approximately 17 million children have been affected by the war, while about 8 million are out of school.
He said schools have been bombed, occupied and abandoned, while teachers remain unpaid and examinations have been disrupted.
“Sudan is not only losing ground to war; it is losing a generation and may lose generations if this war does not come to an end,” Jappah warned.
He stressed that the destruction of education should be treated as a serious peace and security concern, arguing that children deprived of schooling today could become among tomorrow’s most vulnerable populations.
Liberia Draws from Its Own Experience
Drawing a direct connection between Sudan’s crisis and Liberia’s own history, Jappah said Liberia understands the long-term consequences of allowing war to destroy an education system.
He recalled that Liberia’s civil conflict forced teachers, doctors, engineers and other professionals into exile and left an entire generation without adequate formal education or vocational training.
According to Jappah, the consequences extended well beyond the end of the fighting, as young people who missed years of education later struggled with unemployment and limited opportunities.
He warned that unschooled and underemployed young people can become vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups and criminal networks, emphasizing that desperation remains a powerful driver of recruitment.
“Our recovery taught us a hard truth: rebuilding a nation does not begin at the ballot box. It begins at the blackboard,” Jappah said.
He argued that keeping children in school is therefore not merely an education policy, but an investment in national security and long-term peace.
“Every child kept in school is one less child available to an armed group and one more capable of building peace,” he added.
Liberia Demands Protection of Schools
Jappah also called on all parties to Sudan’s conflict to respect international humanitarian law, emphasizing that schools are protected civilian facilities.
He referenced UN Security Council Resolution 2601, which condemns attacks on education and calls for an end to the military use of schools.
Liberia urged the parties to implement the Safe Schools Declaration and cooperate fully with United Nations monitoring and reporting mechanisms.
“A school is a sanctuary, never a barrack, and never a target,” Jappah declared.
Three-Point Action Plan
Liberia proposed action on three fronts to protect Sudan’s children and strengthen the country’s prospects for recovery.
First, Jappah called for stronger protection of schools through the implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration and its incorporation into domestic laws, military doctrines and rules of engagement.
Second, he urged stakeholders to keep children learning despite the war, including by preserving examinations and certification, expanding offline and accelerated learning programs, ensuring equal access for girls, and providing psychological support for children affected by conflict and displacement.
“Displacement must never mean disconnection from a future,” he said.
Third, Liberia called for education to be treated as a core component of Sudan’s humanitarian and recovery financing. Jappah urged international partners to scale up education support, provide teachers with adequate salaries, and invest in skills development and livelihoods for adolescents who have already lost years of schooling.
“The cost of education is always less than the cost of the war that follows its absence,” Jappah emphasized.
Liberia Calls for Accountability
Liberia further warned that attacks on schools, students and teachers could constitute war crimes, stressing that those responsible must be held accountable.
“There can be no impunity for those who make war on children’s future,” Jappah said.
He reaffirmed Liberia’s commitment to working with the African Union and the United Nations to place education at the center of Sudan’s pathway toward peace and recovery.
For Liberia, Jappah said, peace must be measured by more than the silence of guns. It must also be reflected in children learning safely, teachers working without fear, and young people entering adulthood with the skills and opportunities to rebuild their country.
“The generation Sudan saves today will determine the Sudan that governs tomorrow,” he concluded.
