“The recruitment and use of child soldiers continues to be a major
challenge in South Sudan, despite commitments by the Government and
the opposition led by former Vice-President Riek Machar, to protect
children from the impact of conflict,” said Zerrougui in a statement
issued later yesterday by her Office.

Zerrougui was quoted as saying that “No children have been released
from the SPLA or Riek Machar’s opposition.”

“Instead, we are receiving reports of hundreds of new recruitments of
child soldiers by militias and groups aligned with the Government or
the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) in Opposition,” according to
the Special Representative.

Scores of children, some as young 13, were seized by armed men in
South Sudan last month and remain in captivity, despite intensive
efforts to locate them.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has repeatedly demanded their
immediate release, with its representative is Sudan saying the agency
fears the children are being sent to the frontlines.

“The children abducted are reportedly receiving training and could be
on their way to the frontlines,” echoed Zerrougui, adding, “I am very
concerned and I call on the Government of South Sudan to take action
to prevent this from happening.”

The Special Representative’s Office reports that South Sudan is one of
seven countries involved in the campaign “Children not Soldiers,”
which aims to end the recruitment and use of children in Government
armed forces in conflict by 2016.

Led by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for
Children and Armed Conflict and UNICEF, the campaign mobilizes global
support and financial resources so the seven government armed forces
listed in the UN Secretary General’s annual report on ‘Children and
Armed Conflict’ become and remain child-free.

As the leaders of the Government and opposition meet once again to
negotiate peace, Zerrougui urges them to act on their commitments to
protect children and include, as a priority, the release of all
children recruited and used by the parties to the conflict.

A militia led by Johnson Oloni, a commander integrated into the SPLA,
is reportedly responsible for the abduction of the children, but the
SPLA has stated it has no control over Oloni’s militia.

“There will be no lasting peace if we exclude children, who are the
majority of the population. They need to be released, and there needs
to be accountability for child recruiters and those who commit grave
violations against children,” Zerrougui said.

 Photo: UNICEF/ Sebastian Rich