The South Sudanese government on Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to end the recruitment and the use of child soldiers.
“The Ministry of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare recognize the gravity of this issue, and we are deeply committed to ending the recruitment and the use of child soldiers. We are working diligently with our partners to ensure that children are no longer recruited, that those who have been released are supported, and that the root causes of child recruitment are addressed,” Esther Ikere the undersecretary at the Gender, Child and Social Welfare Ministry said at the commemoration of the International Day against Use of Child Soldiers in the capital Juba.
The day, also known as the Red Hand Day, is annually marked on Feb. 12.
Ikere said that South Sudan has faced profound challenges, and the scars of conflict run deep within their society and the use of children in armed conflict has been a painful moment and a reality.
“A dark chapter in our history, children who should be in classrooms, playing, and dreaming of their futures has instead been forced to bear the burdens of the war. They have been robbed of their innocence, their education, and their fundamental rights. We must acknowledge the immense harm this has caused, the physical injuries, the psychological trauma, and the lost opportunities of these young lives,” she added.
Gen. Ashhab Khamis Fahal, assistant chief of the South Sudan’s defense forces, said the government was committed to the protection of the children.
“We are committed to the implementation of the comprehensive action plan we signed with partners and other government institutions, and we have done our part by disseminating the information to the lower level, especially the commanders in charge of the forces, that it is their responsibility to make sure that there is no any form of child recruitment among the forces. So they have to make sure that children are not recruited,” he added.
He assured that they will continue to exert effort to make sure that children are protected.
Anita Kiki Gbeho, the deputy special representative of the UN Secretary-General and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, called upon the country’s government and partners to prioritize and invest in education, vocational training, and sustainable livelihoods for children and youth.
“I would also like to reaffirm, on behalf of the UN, our unwavering commitment and support towards the full implementation of the Comprehensive Action Plan to end and prevent the six grave violations of children’s rights”
She said they are all working towards the same objective, to build a future where no child is forced to bear the burden of armed conflict.
“The United Nations remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting the government towards a South Sudan, a South Sudan that is peaceful and stable when no one, least of all its children, are left behind.”
Allan Kudumoch Agon, 21, a former child soldier, also called upon the government to stop the recruitment of children.
“I lost my father during the civil war, leaving me under the care of my old grandmother,” he said. At the age eight, I was forcibly taken away from our house into the bush to let her get a sense of evil that would befall me. This was just the beginning of my encounter with adversity in the bush, together with other children who went through various abuse.”
“Being a child soldier left me with disgust and burdens that may last forever. My prayer is that no child should ever have to go through this situation. Let all of us in this program allow children to be children,” he asserted.