- Title: SOUTH SUDAN: South Sudan to punish recruiters of child soldiers
- Date: 3rd October 2013
- Summary: JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN (FILE) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CHILD SOLDIERS DURING TRAINING CHILD SOLDIERS PICKING AK-47 RIFLES VARIOUS OF CHILD SOLDIERS SQUATTING DURING TRAINING
- Embargoed: 18th October 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: South Sudan
- Country: South Sudan
- Topics: Conflict,Defence / Military
- Reuters ID: LVA279EE1ASJSA0FPTSK0555B4MP
- Story Text: South Sudan is taking measures to ensure that a deadline to rid all child soldiers from the country's army is strictly observed.
The new order, which followed the Revised Action Plan signed by the United Nations and the SPLA on 13 March 2012, gave a grace period of one and a half months for voluntary reporting and reintegration of former child soldiers without penalty.
This grace period according to the order ended on 30 September 2013, after which any incidents shall be investigated with a view to severe judicial and administrative action.
SPLA or Sudan People's Army has made a commitment to investigate and take punitive action on all incidents of child recruitment, child use or school occupation by armed forces.
Legal advisors, judge advocates and SPLA child protection officers, who recently attended a three-day workshop in Juba, will help ensure that a comprehensive strategy signed last year giving children opportunities in civilian life is implemented.
"I can understand that people work hard to remove these kids, these children from the army and we will continue working, whenever they come. We can even work to remove them from the Army. So that they go to schools. For them to go to schools or to do other things, is for the benefit of South Sudan," said Lieutenant General Chol Thon Balok.
"We are now a National Army. A National Army can be taken somewhere to participate in the Humanitarian issues in certain countries. So if we are still mixing our soldiers with the children we will not be organized as a professional army. So I'm urging our people actually. Those that are listening, let them take this to be the last, the last, the last moment we don't want to hear anything about children associated with the Armed Forces, schools being occupied by the SPLA," added Brigadier General, Chaplain Khamis Edward, Head of the SPLA Child Protection Unit.
Sudan's north-south 21-year brutal war saw thousands of children recruited from their homes to fight against the Islamic government in Khartoum.
After the two sides signed a peace deal in 2005, the war finally ended.
South Sudan later broke away from Sudan in 2011.
Human Rights watch says that although South Sudan's government has pledged to end its use of child soldiers over the years, it continues to recruit children and has not yet demobilized all children from its forces.
SPLA claims that it is no longer recruiting children into its ranks, but some individual soldiers have been bringing children into the barracks.
About 20,000 children were demobilized from the SPLA between 2001 and April 2006, according to the Child Soldiers Global Report in 2008.
While many returned to their homes about 2,000 were still associated with the SPLA.
Military Justice Advisor, Daniel M. Lizzul who has been working with the SPLA for the past two and a half years took soldiers through the new child protection guidelines during the workshop.
"I think the vast majority desperately want a child free SPLA. They desperately want their name, their honor, SPLA that they are very proud of being a part of off of the Secretary General's list of shame," said Lizzul.
The UN notes that reintegrating children who have been in situations of armed conflict is also difficult particularly in South Sudan which still does not have enough schools.
Last year, SPLA signed an Action Plan with the United Nations, renewing their commitment to release all children within their ranks.
This action plan, signed by the Ministry of Defence and various UN agencies also ensured that all militias who would be incorporated into the SPLA were child-free. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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