SSPDF reiterates commitment to end recruitment of children

By Awan Achiek

The South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) on Monday reiterated commitment to end recruitment of children within the national army.

“It has come to our notice that using of children in the armed conflict is a great violation and that is why we always say not to the recruitment of children and that is why the SSPDF committed itself to sign a lot of action plans with the intention of eradicating this issue of recruitment and used of children in South Sudan,” Maj. Gen Chaplain Khamis, the Director for Child Protection in the SSPDF said in Juba.

He was speaking during celebration to mark the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers, commonly known as “Red Hand Day”.

Khamis said that the SSPDF would have eliminated child soldiers within it’s rank and file years ago if conflict had not broken out in December 2013.

“We would have already cleared out children since 2009 or 2012 but due to some recurrent insecurity in South Sudan that is why we are still talking about issues connected to violations against children in South Sudan,” he said.

Oluku Andrew Holt, the National Coordinator for Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration Commission (DDRC) called for urgent action to end grave violations against children.

“We in South Sudan are joining the world to urge for support to bring to an end the recruitment and use of children by armed forces or armed groups,” Holt said.

Aly-Khan Rajani, Ambassador of Canada to South Sudan said that throughout the country’s liberation struggle and civil wars, many lives were lost and families were torn apart.

“Children often pay the highest cost and the highest price whether they have been recruited as soldiers, or being denied their basic needs or experiencing unthinkable abuse. These are things no child should ever have to experience,” Rajani said.  

Up to 4,000 children associated with armed conflict have been released from various armed factions between 2013 and 2022.

The released children were mainly from the former Cobra Faction in Greater Pibor and the South Sudan National Liberation Movement in Western Equation state, according to the Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration Commission.

The government of South Sudan signed an Action Plan with the United Nations on March 13, 2012 to end and prevent the recruitment and use of child soldiers within the army.

In February 2020, the government signed the Comprehensive Action Plan to end all six grave violations against children in armed conflict.