South Sudan’s ex-rival forces undergo training, sign Declaration on Child Protection
Senior Military Officers representing the SSPDF, SSOA and SPLA-IO sign a Declaration affirming their commitment to protecting the rights of all children in South Sudan (Photo: UNMISS)
Dec 10th, 2019 (SSNN)-The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UMMISS) has selected about 40 senior officers from the South Sudan Defence Forces (SSPDF), Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-iO), and South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) to attend an interactive training on child protection policy.
According to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, the forty officers expressed their commitment by signing a declaration, pledging to protect the rights of all children, and promised to vacate occupied schools and refrain from recruiting young children into the army.
“Senior army officers in South Sudan’s Upper Nile region have committed to protecting children’s rights by signing a declaration in which they resolved to protect children by committing to end occupation of schools and hospitals, stop any form of recruitment of boys and girls under the age of 18 into the army, and to release any children found in their ranks,” said the UNMISS on Monday.
“This renewed commitment came at the end of two training sessions that involved 40 senior military officers from the South Sudan Defence Forces (SSPDF), Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-iO), and South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA),” the UN mission added.
South Sudan’s government and opposition forces have been accused of forcibly recruiting children into armed forces.
In September, the Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, Yasmin Sooka reported that, “the prospect of a peace deal has accelerated the forced recruitment of children, with various groups seeking to boost their numbers before they move into the cantonment sites.”
In February, the United Nations Children’s Fund documented that about 300 children have been released from the armed forces since the conflict erupted in 2013.
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